St. Patrick's Day Interesting Fact - Shamrocks are NOT 4 Leaf Clovers

Shamrocks are iconic symbols of Irish heritage and culture.  It can be found at any St. Patrick's Day event anywhere in the world.  It is Ireland's National symbol, which dates back thousands of years.  Sometimes the shamrock is confused with a four-leaf clover.

The word Shamrock comes from the Gaelic word Seamrog, which means "little clover".  Most tend to agree that the White Clover is probably the original Shamrock of symbolic Irish heritage.  St. Patrick used the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity when trying to convert the Irish into Christians.  Each leaf represented the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

The three leaves of the clover are known to stand for faith, hope and love.  The fourth leaf is considered as luck.  The four-leaf clover, also known as the "lucky clover", is not very common.  One in about 10,000 are four-leaf clovers.  Four-leaf clovers are uncommon variations of the three-leaf clover and are widely considered  as a symbol  of good luck.  They are rare mutations and are not found in abundance as are shamrocks.  Therefore, they are considered lucky.  The traditional Irish shamrock does not include a fourth leaf.  

Years ago, I was fortunate to find a four-leaf clover, which I still carry around with me (pictured above).  Have you ever been lucky enough to find a four-leaf clover?

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!