St. Patrick's Day
Always celebrated on March 17
| Hallmark St. Patrick’s Day card sales are highest in the Northeast, with New York City being the top city. |
| Industry-wide, Americans exchange about 9 million St. Patrick’s Day cards annually. |
| The shamrock as a symbol of St. Patrick’s Day recognizes the saint’s use of the clover to explain the Christian concept of the Trinity – the three leaves representing the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, with the stem representing the Godhead. |
| Around 30.5 million people in the United States claim Irish ancestry. (Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2000) |
| Hallmark began producing St. Patrick’s Day cards in the early 1920s. |
2008 Product Features
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Hallmark offers 130 St. Patrick’s Day greeting cards, including St. Patrick’s Day birthday cards and Shoebox humor cards.
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New this year, Hallmark introduces six St. Patrick’s Day Cards With Sound featuring songs such as “Over the Rainbow” by Katherine McPhee, “Kiss Me, I’m Irish” by Gaelic Storm, and “Morrison’s Jig” by The Irish Experience.
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St. Patrick’s Day card designs and sentiments often reflect Irish religious and cultural beliefs. Traditional Irish blessings and messages of faith, family, and pride in an enduring and rich heritage are featured on many Hallmark St. Patrick’s Day cards.
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Multi-card packages at value prices appeal to those who want to reach out to several relatives and friends at St. Patrick’s Day.
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Irish icons – the shamrock, the flag, and the leprechaun (a fanciful shoemaker of Gaelic folklore, said to bestow good wishes and good luck) – are favorites. Rural landscapes evocative of the “Emerald Isle” are popular, as well as cards that tout the traditions of Ireland.
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Hallmark offers a wide variety of wearable accessories including hats, buttons, jewelry, wigs, and removable tattoos and body stickers.
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Hallmark’s St. Patrick’s Day paper partyware and stickers make celebrations more festive.
Holiday History
History and legend intertwine to create the story of St. Patrick. The only definite statement that can be made about St. Patrick's life is that he was not Irish. As far as anyone has been able to determine, St. Patrick was a Britannic Celt who was reared as a Roman Catholic. It is not known whether March 17 was the birth or death date of St. Patrick; it may be neither.
St. Patrick is best known for driving the snakes out of Ireland. The snake was a pagan symbol, so this Irish folk tale may allude to St. Patrick driving paganism out of Ireland.
The first American St. Patrick’s Day celebration appears to have been in Boston in 1737. The custom was begun by the Charitable Irish Society of Boston, a Protestant organization founded that year to help needy Irishmen.
Over time, the rich traditions of the Irish have been embraced as part of the U.S. cultural heritage, and while it remains a festive holiday, St. Patrick’s Day has become an occasion to honor and celebrate the Irish culture.
In Stores
Available at Hallmark Gold Crown® stores nationwide and wherever Hallmark products are sold. Use the store locator on Hallmark.com to find the nearest Hallmark Gold Crown store.