St Patrick’s Day Candy – Traditional Treats & Special Editions

Every year, when March comes and you see green dominating everywhere, everyone knows that St Patrick’s Day is around the corner. People start to wear green clothes and hats. You can see symbols of shamrocks everywhere, and supermarkets are full of St Patrick’s Day candy. Everyone is preparing for the special Irish holiday, which has been taking place since the 10th century. 

Have you ever wondered who St Patrick was? How did this Irish holiday come to the United States and become so important to Christianity? The history goes way back to the fifth century. Go on and you’ll find out everything about the history of St Patrick’s Day candy. We’ll also review traditions, and customs related to this holiday that have been around for a very long time. 

St Patrick’s Day Candy Names

1. Irish Potato Candy
2. Irish Soda Bread
3. Irish Apple Cake
4. Tootsie Roll
5. Jelly Beans
6. Reese’s
7. M&M’s

Brief History of St Patrick’s Day

Let’s forest take a brief look at the history of this special day before we jump into the best St Patrick’s Day Candy. St Patrick is a patron saint of Ireland who lived during the fifth century. He was born in Roman Britain, later kidnapped and brought to Ireland at the age of 16. He escaped after some time, but eventually came back to Ireland and became credited with bringing Christianity to his Irish people. After his death, which is believed to have been on March 17, 461, the mythology surrounding his life became even more deep-rooted in Irish culture. 

The most popular legend about St Patrick is that he went door to door and explained the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) by using three leaves of the national Irish clover, the shamrock. Later, the plant became a symbol of the holiday and an essential part of the St Patrick’s Day celebration. 

The St Patrick’s Day celebration has been around since the ninth or tenth century. Catholic people in Ireland were observing St Patrick’s Day on March 17th. The celebration parade, which is now very popular, first took place in America. It was not until the 17th century that parades became a thing for St Patrick’s Day. The oldest records date from 1601, when the parade was held in a Spanish colony. 

It took more than a century for Irish people to start marching on St Patrick’s Day. Homesick Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched in New York City on March 17th, 1772, to honor their patron saint. It was the first time Irish people were involved in the holiday celebration. Today’s parades usually consist of hundreds of thousands of people. 

St Patrick’s Day Symbols

When the time comes for the St Patrick’s Day celebration, there are some symbols that can be recognized by everyone. On March 17th, they take an essential place in the parades. People use them on traditional foods, and confectioners compete to attract everyone with St Patrick’s Day candy. Here are some of the most important symbols of St Patrick’s Day.

Shamrock

One of the most well-known symbols of St Patrick’s Day is the Shamrock. But have you ever wondered what is so special about this symbol? Shamrock ties back to the religious roots of the holiday. The legend says that when St Patrick came to Ireland, he used shamrock leaves to explain the Holy Trinity to people and make them believe in Christianity. 

Over the years, shamrocks have become a symbol of not only the holiday but the whole country. It is used as a decoration for clothes, hats, and special St Patrick’s Day candy. And guess what? If lollipops are some of your favorite treats, you should definitely try shamrock lollipops too!

The Color Green

Initially, St Patrick’s Day was represented by the color blue. But as the shamrock symbols became more and more linked to the holiday, the color green replaced blue. The green color also became a symbol of Irish nationality. 

Today, St Patrick’s Day is unimaginable without the color green. Rivers get dyed green, people drink green beer, there are competitions to wear everything green from head to toe, and there’s green St Patrick’s Day candy everywhere. The holiday is all about the color green in modern times.

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St Patrick’s Day Candy – Traditional Treats

When St Patrick’s Day is around the corner, people get crazy and incorporate everything green into their decorations. Along with other traditions, desserts and special treats have an important place in St Patrick’s Day celebrations. People are preparing very carefully to try and make treats that are unique for the occasion. St Patrick’s Day candy is an essential part of a family celebration.

1. Irish Potato Candy

Irish Potato Candy is part of a St Patrick’s Day tradition, but it is not authentically Irish. Despite the name, it does not even contain any potatoes. It’s a Philadelphia-based St Patrick’s Day candy, typically made with coconut, sugar, vanilla, and cream cheese rolled in cinnamon on the outside. 

The confection really looks like small potatoes. Actually, the creator wanted to erase the awful memories of the Great Irish Potato Famine. Today, Irish potatoes are a fun and delicious part of St Patrick’s Day candy traditions. 

2. Irish Soda Bread

Irish soda bread is a must-have on St Patrick’s Day. It’s not particularly St Patrick’s Day candy, but it is a traditional Irish specialty that has been around for more than two centuries. Today, soda bread is enjoyed around the world, not only on St Patrick’s Day. 

Over the years, there have been a variety of Irish soda bread recipes, most of which are sour, but you can easily turn Irish soda bread into a St Patrick’s Day candy specialty by simply adding raisins, dried fruit, and all sorts of sweet stuff to it.

3. Irish Apple Cake

Holidays are all about traditions, and St Patrick’s Day candy and treats are not complete without the traditional Irish Apple cake. It’s the traditional Irish recipe, which was inherited by the younger generations from their grandparents. People like to enrich their tables with Irish Apple Cake because it shows love, respect, and kindness, which is the key to the holiday itself. Apple cake is usually full of delicious spices, which add extra flavor to the holiday celebration. 

Special Editions for St Patrick’s Day Candy 

Every year, after the craziness of Valentine’s Day candy, everything turns from pink to green to celebrate St Patrick’s Day. Candy manufacturers are no exception in trying to impress customers with eye-catching packaging or special editions of their signature treats. It’s hard to take your eyes, and, of course, your hands, off the special St Patrick’s Day candy editions, which are tempting and desirable, for those who are going to celebrate the holiday in a special way. 

4. Tootsie Roll

Dozens of famous companies offer St Patrick’s Day candies in special editions. Tootsie Roll has one of the biggest varieties of green St Patrick’s Day candy choices for the special occasion. You can choose from caramel apple pops, green apple frooties, Andes mints, and other green-wrapped or green-colored candies for your St Patrick’s Day candy basket. 

5. Jelly Beans

Jelly Belly makes more than 100 flavors of its signature Jelly Beans, but as a St Patrick’s Day candy, they pay great attention to green Jelly Belly beans. There are seventeen variations of green Jelly Beans, each of which has different flavors. Some of the flavors include apple, watermelon, pear, mojito, margarita, and more. Just for the occasion, Jelly Belly produces a festive variation of the St Patrick’s Day candy, Green Draft Beer Jelly Beans.

6. Reese’s

Reese’s is famous for creating special treats for holidays. For the St Patrick’s Day candy edition, it offers peanut butter cups in a special wrap, which is green and white. The iconic taste and the holiday appearance make Reese’s minis the treats that are a must-have during the holiday season. Like Reese’s, Hershey’s is the one to use green and white wrappers for St Patrick’s Day candy, but not surprisingly, they don’t change the original flavors of the kisses.

7. M&M’s

M&Ms is one of the top-selling candies during the holiday season. St Patrick’s Day is no exception, especially when the company offers a special variety of products. They go all green to make St Patrick’s Day candy even more special. The wrappers are green, the candy is green, and M&Ms come in a variety of green shades during the holiday season.

Bottom Line

Over the years, St Patrick’s Day has become a very important holiday. It is a symbol of love, care, and belief in Christianity. Religious people, not only them, gather every year to celebrate and worship their patron saint. The holiday has taken its deserved place among the biggest holidays like Christmas and Easter. 

Families and friends are preparing way ahead to be part of the big celebration. It’s a fun holiday that can be enjoyed with loved ones. The traditions make it even more special. Who does not enjoy drinking beer and chatting with their friends, especially when it’s green and everyone is wearing green from head to toe? Special parades make it even more fun for everyone. There’s always loud music, dancing, and cheering during the parades. Everyone’s trying to make their small contribution to make this holiday more special. 

As for other big holidays, St Patrick’s Day is no exception, where traditional food and treats play an important role along with other symbols. The green color dominates everything, starting with food and finishing with clothes. Candy manufacturers are trying to make the holiday more special. As the date comes closer, St Patrick’s Day candy is usually a big deal at the stores and supermarkets. You can find your favorite treats in green wrappers colored with green dye. 

Everyone has their own particular tradition for celebrating a holiday. Do you have any customs that you follow every year? What is your favorite St Patrick’s Day activity? Do you have a special St Patrick’s Day candy that is always on the table?