Tis the week of St. Patty’s Day and a lot of people like that.
I don’t.
There are many who seem to think that leprechauns are elves.
They aren’t.
They are Irish. For whatever reason they tend to be male (most have beards). And leprechauns wear a lot of green.
Leprechauns are famous for being mischievous. That’s a nice way of saying they are punks. Evidently the life of a leprechaun involves making shoes and hiding coins in hidden pots of gold at the end of rainbows.
How in the world does that make them elves?
It doesn’t. But more on that in a minute.
The true appeal to leprechauns is the belief that they can grant wishes. That’s why one of the big traditions of St. Patrick’s Day is to try and capture a leprechaun.
I don’t know why people believe in this stuff.
I mean, if leprechauns can really grant wishes don’t you think they’d wish for something other than green to wear?
When was the last time green was a decent color for any kind of clothing? Green shirts? Okay – within reason. Green pants? Uh, no. Green socks? Uh-huh. Green underwear? Are you out of your mind? If a leprechaun cannot grant himself a reasonable wish about something as simple as clothes, what’s he really going to do for you?
Now let’s get back to this elf business and leprechauns supposedly being elves.
We see it every year. St. Patrick’s Day comes around and everything Irish is in fashion. I don’t think that makes a lot of sense but good for the Irish, I guess. I’ll keep my heritage, thank you, and wish the Irish well.
But already the mail is coming in to the North Pole Post Office this week and the question is almost universal: Are elves leprechauns?
No.
I’ll say it again – no.
In fact, Santa does not even celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.
Why?
Well, he’s not Irish.
He loves Ireland. Has a lot of fans there. The culture there is friendly, the people very nice and it is a pretty place indeed.
In fact, Ireland is known as the Emerald Isle – emerald, as in a color, not a gem. Emerald is a beautiful green color. Hence, everything green on St. Patrick’s Day. Who was St. Patrick? He was the patron saint of Ireland. During his lifetime he did a great deal to convert the people of Ireland. March 17th became his feast day.
Again, Santa finds all that very interesting.
But he won’t be dressing in green, drinking dubious liquids or eating a lot of cabbage on the 17th. He wishes the Irish well, just as he wishes well the citizens of any country or region who celebrates their heritage. But Santa is not Irish and will never be Irish.
Certainly there are some elves from Ireland. They are free to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. But they are not free to call themselves both an elf and a leprechaun. You are free to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, too. But you are not free to call yourself an elf and a leprechaun at the same time either. They are not the same thing.
They are not connected in any way.
An elf, you see, is something that these days squarely belongs to Santa and the North Pole.
Leprechauns cannot ever be tied to Santa, the North Pole or anything other than Ireland.
Leprechauns are creatures of Irish folklore. That means they are not really known for anything other than being known for nothing.
No one has actually seen a leprechaun. Ever.
Many dress up like leprechauns. But no one has seen one or caught one, for that matter. And that’s a thing of St. Patrick’s Day – to catch a leprechaun. Maybe that’s why we get so many questions about them. Maybe there are elves out there concerned about being kidnapped. Maybe they fear being confused for a leprechaun.
But no elf should ever have this worry. Leprechauns have never been caught.
Have you ever noticed that? They are allegedly “magical” if you catch one. But catching one has never been done.
Elves, of course, are completely different from leprechauns.
Elves work to serve others, not elude them. Elves can be caught, and have been caught, many times. Elves alone will tell you they do not employ any magic in what they do. In fact, they serve Santa who very clearly works hard in doing all that he does.
It’s all visible.
It’s all out there.
It’s all real.
Leprechauns are just the opposite. They disappear on March 18th. And no one thinks about them again until the week of St. Paddy’s the next year.
Why?
Because little green men belong to Mars. Not earth. They claim everything and actually do nothing. That’s definitely very un-elf-like.
Be glad you’re an elf.
People will want to be like you. Nobody really wants to be green and disappear every March 18th.
That’s a good point, I may not be Irish, but I do eat corned beef and cabbage, but I eat a lot of other things. Thank you for clarifying about Leprechaun’s and Santa’s Elfs
I believe I may be part-leprechaun but I’m still an elf.
Wow very interesting.. u know I never thought of that…what’s the reason of leprechauns coming anyway?
Yeah, that’s very interesting! I’ve just learned about this holiday at the elementary school last week. Wow, I didn’t know Leprechauns are creatures, not elves and fairies, emerald green is from Ireland, etc. Sounds disappointing they disappear every March 18th. People are talking about them but I’m curious about “St. Patrick”. I don’t hear about him and it sounds disappointing too. Anyway I hope people who like it enjoy this holiday this year too XD
Even though leprechauns may not be real, you still have to appreciate that some people believe in that. Some people may think that Santa isn’t real and go rabbiting on about how he may not be real, but we all know he is.
But yes, if leprechauns are real (and that’s a big “if”) then they are DEFINITELY not elves. They have NO relation to Christmas WHATSOEVER.
Thank you for clarifying. Today in band class since my birthday is st. Patrick’s day my band teacher called me a leprechaun and I was like “wait, but I’m an elf so how am I a leprechaun” lol so this made me less confused abut that. Thank you again.
I believe in leprechauns and they are not punks they just pull pranks on those they like and leprechaun is not a job it is a creature and elf is a job and maybe a creature but i nice leprechaun may be an elf as a job sometimes. I also believe I may be part-leprechaun.