Happy St. Sucatus Day?

Feeling a little left out because you’re not Irish this St. Patrick’s Day? Don’t worry, neither was the patron saint the holiday commemorates.

The celebrations surrounding St. Paddy’s Day have ballooned to include so many traditions, myths and let’s face it, hideous green outfits that sorting through them all is best left to historians and fashion aficionados.

Whether or not you plan to join your neighbors in taking to the streets and pubs today to celebrate, here’s a few quick and dirty tidbits of St. Patrick’s Day trivia to stew over while sipping a green beer and waiting for the corn beef to cook:

• St. Patrick’s name may have been Sucatus. Some scholars, like J.B. Bury in his book “The Life of St. Patrick” believe he was born Patricius Calpurnius to a Roman citizen in Britain, but then signed his name Patricius Magonus Sucatus in the town’s registry later to exercise his rights as a citizen of the Roman Empire. Others believe he was born Maewyn Succat and took the name Patrick upon entering the priesthood. For those non-Latin speaking Americans, St. Patrick’s is by far the easiest to pronounce. Besides, St. Sucatus Day really doesn’t have the same lyrical ring to it.
• Everybody’s Irish today, but the U.S. has plenty of Irish-Americans every other day as well. A 2009 tally from the U.S. Census reports nearly 37 million Americans claim Irish ancestry. That’s a whopping eight times the population of Ireland itself and is second only to Americans claiming German ancestry.
• Downing a pint or two this St. Paddy’s Day? You’re not alone. The makers of Guinness, a dark, thick stout favored in Ireland, expect fans of St. Patrick to consume more than double the daily average of 5.5 million pints. That’s about 13 million pints, according to National Geographic News.
• While Patrick would eventually become one of three patron saints of Ireland, Bury writes that as a boy Patrick had little interest in Christianity despite being the son of a deacon. For Patrick, his conversion would be trial by fire—or rather by shackle. He was kidnapped and enslaved for seven years in Ireland by bandits or so-called freebooters. Apparently not one to hold a grudge, he later led the green Isle to Christianity and earned sainthood.
• Want to visit Dublin on the cheap? The U.S. Census reports nine cities in the U.S. share the name of the Irish capital. We’re not making any promises, but the largest of the cities (44,000) is Dublin, CA. Bon voyage!
• While parades hailed St. Patrick's day as early as 1762 in New York, the holiday remained a somewhat minor affair until Irish-Americans added a continental flavor to the party in the 1970s, according to National Geographic News. Since then, parades have popped up in innumerable cities and the tradition even spurs the dyeing of a portion of the Chicago River green during the celebrations.
• Speaking of green. . .what is with the infatuation with shamrocks? Bury explains in his book that one of the legends surrounding St. Patrick was his use of the shamrock’s three leaves as a handy illustration of the trinity in his quest to convert the isle’s Druids and pagans. Now, how a four-leaf clover became a symbol of luck is well, that's fodder for next year's celebration.