St. Patrick’s Day—a holiday beloved by Irishmen, partygoers, and fans of the Shamrock Shake.

The green-hued Irish holiday is this Sunday and the famed Chicago St. Patrick’s Day parade is on Saturday.

The Chicago River undergoes its famous green dyeing at 9 a.m. and the St. Paddy’s Day parade begins at noon, filled with herds of rowdy people wearing “kiss me, I’m Irish” shirts. Many LFHS students throw on their brightest green and stick shamrock stickers to their faces before taking the train down for the parade.

While St. Patrick’s Day is now celebrated by throngs of people wearing green and shouting obscenely, it once had a more tame purpose. St. Patrick’s Day originally celebrated the death of St. Patrick (hence the name), the patron saint of Ireland. The religious affiliations of the holiday are widely unknown and uncelebrated today.

St. Paddy’s Day became popular in America when Irishmen emigrated to America in the 19th century. The holiday was quickly adopted by all Americans and is still celebrated today. Little known fact: green was not St. Patrick’s Day original color—blue was. Nowadays, we wear green because it is part of the Irish flag, it’s the color of the shamrock, and legend has it that Leprechauns will pinch anyone not wearing green.

St. Paddy’s Day is celebrated today with the Chicago parade, wearing green, shamrock necklaces, and McDonald’s Shamrock Shakes (make sure to try the minty green milkshake while they’re still in season!)