Pinch Me

St. Patrick’s Day, or March 17, is everyone’s favorite Irish-themed holiday. That’s true both in Ireland and in the United States where there are reportedly more largescale St. Patrick’s Day celebrations than anywhere else in the world.

It’s common for people to wear green on St. Patrick’s Day because of the holiday’s association with Ireland’s nickname, the “Emerald Isle,” and its flag’s colors. In addition, people wear green on this occasion since shamrocks are commonly associated with this holiday.

According to fun folklore, you get pinched on St. Patrick’s Day for not wearing green because green makes you invisible to leprechauns. Leprechauns are mischievous creatures, and according t o l e g e n d , they like to pinch people ( because they can!).

If you wear green, leprechauns won’t be able to see you, so you’ll be free of any painful pinching. But if you’re sporting any other color this holiday, you’re easy to find for them to pinch.

The ubiquity of St. Paddy’s Day in North America is likely due to the influx of Irish immigrants beginning as early as the 18th century.

Shamrocks, green beer, parades, and Irish music are all familiar parts of the typical St. Patrick’s Day festivity. So, too, is playful pinching should someone get caught wearing no shade of green in their clothing. For this very reason, 80% of all Americans — where the wear-green-or-be-pinched custom is most popular — plan to wear green each March 17 according to a recent survey, based on 2022 reporting from Irish Central.

Though non-consensual pinching is never advisable, where exactly did the St. Patrick’s Day-pinching custom come from? Like the origins of St. Patrick’s Day itself, the pinching practice on St. Paddy’s is based on another cultural tradition from Ireland: those mythical little creatures known as leprechauns.