Shamrocks Are Everywhere on St. Patrick’s Day. Here’s How It Became a Symbol of All Things Irish

St. Patrick's Day has no shortage of iconography, but for those who celebrate on March 17, one symbol stands above the rest: the shamrock.

The holiday, which began centuries ago as the feast day of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, has become a day in which everyone gets to be Irish — in part by piling on the shamrock gear, and maybe even picking up a "Shamrock Shake" at McDonald's.

St. Patrick's Day has no shortage of iconography, but for those who celebrate on March 17, one symbol stands above the rest: the shamrock. The holiday, which began centuries ago as the feast day of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, has become a day in which everyone gets to be Irish — in part by piling on the shamrock gear, and maybe even picking up a "Shamrock Shake" at McDonald's.