Even though St. Patrick’s Day has passed, we aren’t quite done chasing rainbows just yet. National Find a Rainbow Day is right around the corner!
There’s something magical about rainbows that has the ability to make us feel like a child again, full of wonder and curiosity.
It’s no surprise that a phenomenon so awe-inspiring has its own national day!
National days of the year are a fun way to celebrate odd and unusual foods, animals and items that you come into contact with.
Be sure to check out our national day’s guide for more fun days to celebrate.
When is National Find a Rainbow Day?
National Find a Rainbow Day occurs annually on April 3. It’s no accident that this national day falls in the spring.
Springtime frequently brings rain, one of the crucial elements for creating a rainbow. There’s a reason the phrase “April showers bring May flowers” is so often quoted!
Let’s learn about rainbows symbolism, how they are formed and some fun facts about rainbows to celebrate National Find a Rainbow Day.
How are rainbows formed?
While it might seem like rainbows are formed by magic and belong in the same category as unicorns, dragons and faeries, rainbows are actually made from science and not magic!
There are only two things you need to see a rainbow: water and light. They are most commonly seen right after it’s rained and the sun has come out.
Sunlight looks white, but it actually contains all of the colors in the color spectrum.
When sunlight passes through water droplets still in the air after a rainstorm, the water droplets act as a prism, refracting and reflecting light.
The sunlight is refracted (scattered and bent) through the raindrop, and then reflected back to us.
When reflected back, it appears in the colors of the rainbow: red orange yellow green blue indigo and violet (a handy mnemonic to remember this is Roy G. Biv).
If you love learning about colors, you may be interested to know that every holiday has colors associated with it that have a special meanings for that holiday.
Check out our in depth guides to the colors of Valentine’s Day, Mardi Gras and St. Patrick’s Day to learn more about these holiday colors.
Facts about rainbows for kids
Want to teach your children about rainbows? Check out these rainbow facts for kids.
- It’s impossible to get to the end of a rainbow, because rainbows are actually full circles.
- Rainbows appear as arches, because when we view them from the ground, we are only able to see the half of the rainbow above the horizon. However if you were in the sky, you could see they’re full circles.
- It’s impossible to touch a rainbow, since they’re optical illusions. No matter how many steps you take towards one, it will always be out of reach.
- No two people see the exact same rainbow, they look different to everyone viewing them.
- There are seven colors in a rainbow (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet).
Did you know that you don’t need rain to see a rainbow? You just moisture in the air! Rainbows are also visible with fog, mist, spray, and dew.
You can even make your own rainbow by spraying water from a garden hose into the sky on a sunny day.
Rainbow facts for National Find a Rainbow Day
Check out these facts about rainbows to celebrate this national day. Some may surprise you!
- In addition to seeing rainbows, you can see double rainbows as well.
- Double rainbows contain a rainbow and a second, fainter rainbow outside of it, with the colors reversed.
- If you’re really lucky you might even see a rare tertiary or quaternary rainbow.
- The sky between a rainbow and a double rainbow is darker than the rest of the sky. It’s called Alexander’s Band, and was named after Alexander Aphrodisias in 200 AD.
- “Moonbows” are rainbows formed by the light of the moon and moisture in the atmosphere. They are rare to see.
Have you enjoyed learning these rainbow facts for National Find a Rainbow Day? Make sure to check out our other posts with fun facts.
What do rainbows symbolize?
Rainbows symbolize hope. During a storm, things are dark, but rainbows remind us that the dark times will pass, and beautiful things will exist after.
This feeling of calm after the storm ties into the meaning of peace that is also present in rainbow symbolism.
Rainbows serve as a reminder that better days are to come. For this reason, new beginnings are one of the meanings of rainbow symbolism.
Rainbows also symbolize endings, as rainbows are associated with death in many cultures. Rainbows are thought of as a bridge to the afterlife.
In Christianity, a rainbow appears in the story of Noah’s Ark. This rainbow symbolizes the promise God made to Noah: to never again destroy the earth with a flood.
Ancient Greeks and Romans believed that rainbows were a path to the gods. In Greek mythology, there is a goddess named Iris that is the goddess of the rainbow and messenger of the gods.
She is often depicted as the personification of a rainbow. It was believed she could create rainbows, and used them to travel through the sky.
St. Patrick’s Day rainbow
We often associate rainbows with St. Patrick’s Day. This is because rainbows are often depicted with leprechauns, which happen to be one of the St. Patrick’s Day symbols.
Irish folklore said that leprechauns were cobblers of the the fairy world. They were paid in gold for their shoemaking and mending services.
In an effort to keep their pot of gold safe, they hid it at the bottom a rainbow. As you now know, you can’t actually reach the end of a rainbow, so their gold is safely hidden!
In these stories rainbows represented treasure, luck and leprechauns.
For more leprechaun related goodies check out this recipe for leprechaun hat s’mores cookies, and these tutorials to make a leprechaun hat centerpiece and leprechaun door decor.
Facts about rainbows
Have you liked learning about National Find a Rainbow Day? Here’s some more rainbow facts for you to enjoy!
- Hawaii is one of the best places in the world to see rainbows.
- Earth is the only planet in the solar systems with rainbows.
- You are less likely to see a rainbow in the winter, because when water droplets freeze into snow, the light can’t be refracted and reflected through them.
- The longest lasting rainbow on record occurred in Yangmingshan, Chinese Taipei, on November 30, 2017. The rainbow lasted 8 hours and 58 minutes.
Rainbow symbolism
Another item that contains rainbow symbolism is the rainbow flag, also referred to as the pride flag.
The rainbow flag represents the LGBTQIA+ community, pride and equality. The pride flag was created by Gilbert Baker.
The rainbow flag was first flown in San Francisco during the Gay Freedom Day Parade, on June 25, 1978.
Rainbow symbolism is also found throughout the state of Hawaii. It is the rainbow state, and even has a rainbow on its license plate.
As you’ve learned, there are many different things a rainbow can symbolize, and each meaning is special. It’s no wonder National Find a Rainbow Day exists to celebrate this symbol.
How to celebrate National Find a Rainbow Day
Would you like to celebrate National Find a Rainbow Day in a special way? Try one of these ideas.
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- If it’s recently rained, go out and try to find a rainbow!
- If it hasn’t rained recently, get out the garden hose and make your own rainbow by spraying water in the sunlight.
- Pull out the sprinkler for your children to run through and chase rainbows. Or be a kid again, and run through the sprinkler yourself!
- Look through a prism which refracts light and creates rainbows.
- Get our your art supplies and create rainbow inspired art!
- Wear clothing with rainbows on it.
- Read your child a book about rainbows.
- Bake a rainbow themed recipe. You could make rainbow cookies, cupcakes or even a rainbow cake. The sky is the limit – literally!
- Skip the red roses and buy a bouquet of different varieties of roses to bring the colors of the rainbow into your home.
- Watch The Wizard of Oz and listen for the song “Over the Rainbow”.
- Host a rainbow themed party where everyone is encouraged to dress in rainbow colors, and bring colorful food.
Check out the rainbow coloring sheet at the bottom of this article. After teaching your kids these facts about rainbows, on National Find a Rainbow Day, they can color their own!
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It's almost National Find a Rainbow Day. Head to Always the Holidays for rainbow facts, rainbow symbolism and more!🌈✨🍀 #RainbowDay #RainbowFacts Share on XMore April 3 national days
Did you enjoy learning these facts about rainbows for National Find a Rainbow Day? Well you’re in luck, April 3 is host to more than just one national day!
Here is a complete list of all the April 3 national days:
- National Find a Rainbow Day
- National Chocolate Mousse Day
- World Party Day
- National Tweed Day
- Fish Fingers and Custard Day
- American Circus Day
- National Day of Hope
- National Film Score Day
- Pony Express Day
More national days in April
There are close to 2000 national days in the year and over 150 of them are celebrated in April.
To see them all, have a look at this post to discover more about the national days in April. Be sure to also check out the April word search printable of national days.
Is food your thing? Each day of the month has a food or drink associated with it, too. You’ll find all the April food holidays here.
Be sure to also check out these national days this month:
- National Beer Day – Check out this national day, especially if you enjoyed a green beer over St. Patrick’s Day.
- National Pet Day – Want to celebrate your rescue dog, or your cuddly kitten? Head to National Pet Day for new ideas to celebrate this national day.
- National Licorice Day – This is a love it or hate it candy – people never seem to be ambivalent about licorice! Head to the post to learn more.
- National Orchid Day – Orchids, like roses, some varieties of lilies and carnations can be found in many colors of the rainbow. Head to this post for beautiful orchid photos.
- National Tea Day – This national day (not to be confused with National Bubble Tea Day, which also falls in April) is all about celebrating different varieties of tea.
Pin this post on National Find a Rainbow Day for later
Would you like a reminder of these rainbow facts National Find a Rainbow Day? Just pin this image to one of your national day boards on Pinterest so that you can easily find it later.
If you are interested in other national days in April, you can watch our video on YouTube.
Now that you've learned about rainbow symbolism, and rainbow facts for National Find a Rainbow Day, it's time to celebrate! Print out this rainbow coloring sheet and color it with your favorite markers or colored pencils. As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.Rainbow Coloring Sheet for National Find a Rainbow Day
Materials
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About the authorSince graduating from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Jess has been living and working in Los Angeles, CA. She is a freelance writer, specializing in content related to fashion, food and drink and film industry topics. Find out more about Jess here.
