Did you know St. Patrick’s Day isn’t the only day of the year dedicated to leprechauns? In addition to this holiday, there’s also a National Leprechaun Day falls annually on May 13.
It’s logical to assume that St. Patrick’s Day is the only day of the year dedicated to leprechauns because leprechauns are one of the seven symbols of St. Patrick’s Day.
The other symbols of St. Patrick’s Day are shamrocks, parades, the color green, corned beef and cabbage, the harp, and green beer.
Like National Leprechaun Day, many of these other St. Paddy’s Day symbols have national days dedicated to them, like National Beer Day and National Corned Beef and Cabbage 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 this national day’s guide for more information about national days.
What is National Leprechaun Day about?
National Leprechaun Day is dedicated to celebrating leprechauns, which are mythical creatures depicted in Irish folklore.
Even though the origin of this National Leprechaun Day is as mysterious as the location where leprechauns store their gold, it’s still a day worth celebrating.
Keep reading to learn facts about leprechauns and fun ways to celebrate National Leprechaun Day.
What do leprechauns look like?
Leprechauns are tiny magical men who stand roughly two feet tall. They have red beards, and wear a coat, trousers, black shoes with buckles and hats with buckles.
Modern day leprechauns are depicted wearing the color green. However, there are early literary references to leprechauns wearing red dating back to 1827.
In Legends and Stories of Ireland, leprechauns are described as wearing “a red square cut coat, richly laced with gold, waistcoat and inexpressibles of the same cocked hat, shoes, and buckles” (228-229).
Leprechaun facts
Brush up on your knowledge of this May 13 national day with these fun facts about leprechauns. Some may surprise you!
- The belief in leprechauns stems from the Celtic belief in faeries.
- The word “leprechaun” comes from the Irish term leath bhrogan meaning shoemaker.
- Leprechauns are the shoemakers of the fairy world, and legend says they can be found by following the tap, tap, tap sound of their hammers.
- The payment for a leprechaun’s cobbling work is paid in gold, which leprechauns hide at the end of the rainbow to keep it safe from thieves.
- If a person manages to catch a leprechaun, the cobblers are required to grant three wishes to their captors.
- Leprechauns are famous for being tricksters. They often perform tricks to make elaborate escapes from anyone who might trap them.
- They live in the wooded areas of enchanted forests, and are often found near fairy gardens.
- Leprechauns are solitary creatures with cranky dispositions that are not the friendliest of creatures.
Don’t forget to share these leprechaun facts with your kids! These magical creatures can even inspire wonder and awe in adults striving to be more childlike.
How to celebrate National Leprechaun Day
Would you like to celebrate National Leprechaun Day in a special way? Try one of these ideas.
Some of the links below are affiliate links. I earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you if you purchase through an affiliate link.
- Build a leprechaun trap (pictured above) with your kids to help them capture a leprechaun.
- Download our free St. Patrick’s Day word search and St. Patrick’s Day word scramble and look for the word “leprechaun”.
- Make a leprechaun themed craft like this leprechaun hat door decoration or this leprechaun hat table centerpiece.
- Read your kids a story about leprechauns.
- Try a leprechaun themed recipe like this one for leprechaun hat s’mores cookies.
- Hang up some leprechaun themed decorations in your home.
- Make some art by coloring in a leprechaun coloring book.
Share this post with facts about leprechauns for this May 13 national day with your friends on twitter:
If you enjoyed reading about National Leprechaun Day don’t forget to share this post with your friends. Here’s a tweet to get you started:
National Leprechaun Day – Learn Facts about Leprechauns to Celebrate Share on XFacts about Leprechauns
Are you a fan of National Leprechaun Day? Check out these leprechaun facts to learn more.
- There is a park dedicated to leprechauns called Mills Ends Park in Portland, Oregon which holds the world record for the smallest park in the world. The circular park (pictured above) only measures 2 feet across (452 square inches).
- The cereal company General Mills uses a leprechaun as the symbol of the cereal brand called Lucky Charms.
- There is a 1959 Disney movie dedicated to leprechauns called Darby O’Gill and the Little People.
- In 1965, the leprechaun became the mascot of the University of Notre Dame.
- In Dublin, there is a museum dedicated to leprechauns called the National Leprechaun Museum.
- Donohue Syndrome is a rare and severe medical condition that is nicknamed Leprechaunism. However, doctors and researchers prefer to use the term “Donohue Syndrome” as the term Leprechaunism is perceived as insulting.
- Along with green beer, harps, corned beef and cabbage, the color green, shamrocks and parades, leprechauns are one of the seven symbols of St. Patrick’s Day.
If you enjoyed learning these fun facts about leprechauns, make sure to check out our trivia section. There you can find facts about all your favorite holidays and items!
More May 13 national days
Did you enjoy learning about National Leprechaun Day? Well you’re in luck, May 13 is host to more than just one national day!
Here is a complete list of all the May 13 national days:
- National Leprechaun Day
- National Crouton Day
- National Apple Pie Day
- National Frog Jumping Day
- National Fruit Cocktail Day
- Cough Drop Day
- International Hummus Day
- World Cocktail Day
- Top Gun Day
- Tulip Day
More national days in May
There are close to 2000 national days in the year and over 150 of them are celebrated in May.
To see them all, have a look at this post to discover more about the national days in May. Be suer to also check out well the May word search printable for some fun puzzle fun.
Is food your thing? Each day of the month has a food or drink associated with it, too. You’ll find all the May food holidays here.
Be sure to also check out these national days this month:
- National Mimosa Day – Learn all about this brunch-themed cocktail which is a perfect pairing with pancakes and waffles.
- National Graduation Tassel Day – Check out this day dedicated to recent graduates.
- National Rescue Dog Day – Learn facts about shelter dogs to be more informed on National Rescue Dog Day.
- National Mint Julep Day – Check out some fun facts about mint juleps, and get recipes for this whiskey based cocktail.
Pin this post on National Leprechaun Day for later
Would you like a reminder of this post for this May 13 national day? Just pin this image to one of your national day boards on Pinterest so that you can easily find it later.
About the author
Since 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.