Test Your Knowledge with
Our St. Patrick’s Day Quiz
If you claim Irish heritage (or even if you don’t), you may think you know all there is to know about St. Patrick’s Day.
Take our mini-quiz and find out…
#1. New York City’s St. Patrick’s Day parade is the world’s oldest civilian parade. What year did it start?
A. 1924
B. 1890
C. 1762
D. 1919
E. 1903
#2. More than 31.5 million U.S. residents claim Irish ancestry, second only to what other European ethnicity?
A. English
B. German
C. French
D. Polish
E. Italian
#3. According to the national Greeting Card Association, how many Americans exchange St. Patrick’s Day cards?
A. 7 million
B. More than 30 million
C. 20 million
D. 16 million
E. Nobody does that
#4. Before St. Patrick became the missionary who’s credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland, what was his profession?
A. Sailor
B. Slave
C. Shepherd
D. Bishop
E. Three of the above
(Need a hint? Check out the video clip at right.)
#5. From 1927 to 1961, Irish law banned a particular activity on St. Patrick’s Day. What was that activity?
A. Working
B. Gambling
C. Selling alcohol
D. Snake charming
E. All of the above
ANSWERS
#1. Answer: C.
The very first St. Patrick’s Day parade in New York City was held in 1762. 1924 was the year of the first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade.1890 was the year of the first Rose Parade in Pasadena. 1919 was the year of the first Armistice Day (now called Veteran’s Day) parade in NYC. 1903 was the year of the first St. Patrick’s Day parade in Ireland.
#2. Answer: B.
Forty-three million Americans claim German ancestry, the largest European ethnic group. Number of Americans claiming other European ethnicities are: English, 23.6 million; Italian, 16.7 million; Polish, 9.1 million; French, 7.6 million.
#3. Answer: A.
About 7 million Americans send greeting cards on St. Patrick’s Day, well below the other seasonal favorites of Christmas, Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day, but respectable nonetheless. Twenty million Americans exchange Halloween cards, and 16 million exchange cards on Thanksgiving.
#4. Answer: E.
When he was a youth, Patrick was kidnapped from his home on the western coast of Great Britain by Irish marauders and sold into captivity. As a slave, young Patrick herded sheep for a local chieftain in northern Ireland, where he lived in virtual isolation. After Patrick escaped from slavery and returned home to Great Britain, he trained to become a priest. In 432 A.D. he was consecrated as a bishop and given the name Patricius. Although Patrick traveled to and from the Emerald Isle by way of seafaring vessel, he was never a trained sailor.
#5. Answer: C.
In 1927 Ireland introduced a law that forced all pubs to close on March 17. Until 1961, the only place where Irishmen could legally drink on St. Paddy’s Day was the RDS Dog Show. (The show was very well attended.) The only Irish law that ever prohibited working on certain days was the Sunday Observance Act of 1695. With regard to gambling, current Irish law prohibits the operation of commercial casinos – on any day. As far as snake charming is concerned…In one of the legends associated with St. Patrick, he stood atop an Irish hillside and banished snakes from Ireland—prompting all serpents to slither away into the sea. Although some countries have banned snake charming, Ireland is not one of them.
Sources:
Featured Image: Adobe, License Granted
NYC St. Patrick’s Day Parade
U.S. Census Bureau
PBS