St Patrick's Day Party Decorations - The Shamrock and Its History

The Shamrock is a staple of St. Patrick's Day party decorations because it is a symbol of the Irish that almost everyone recognizes, and the Irish government even trademarked. But do you know the story of how the Shamrock became that symbol, and how to use it in your decorating plans?

In the 1700's the shamrock, (seamrog in Irish), was worn on lapels on Saint's feast day, with its 3 leaves symbolizing the trilogy of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Later it was adopted as the symbol of the "Irish Volunteers" in the 1770's Grattan's parliament. The symbol became such an irritant to the English that Queen Victoria forbade the Irish Regiments to wear it. And of course, to forbid something usually generates a stronger desire for it, and this was the case for the shamrock. The Irish saw it as an act of defiance to the English to wear a shamrock proudly.

It was the three leaves of the shamrock that helped it become associated with the good and lucky things of the Irish. Seems it's an Irish belief that good things come in groups of three. Number symbolism was an important part of Celtic beliefs, and 3 is a magical and sacred number, again, the association is the three leaves of the shamrock. Even Irish story telling uses a rhythm of 3-fold repetition. And the Irish love groupings of three, like: Faith, Hope, and Charity, or Love, Valor, and Wit, and of course, as mentioned, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. The Irish consideration that everything good comes in threes gave the shamrock its patina of goodness and luck.