Here’s what to know before drinking a green-colored pint of beer St. Patrick’s Day is officially here! While the day is in honor of the Feast of Saint Patrick, the foremost patron saint of Ireland, it’s culturally become a day when people dress in green and kick back a pint (or two) of green-colored beer.

So my students are often surprised when I tell them that St. Patrick’s Day was once a solemn feast day when you’d be far more likely to see the color blue. In fact, there’s even a color known as St. Patrick’s blue.