Most of us acknowledge St. Patrick's Day simply by wearing green or making green food.  But for some, St. Patrick's Day represents a boisterous celebration of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland.  Dublin, Ireland hosts a five-day St. Patrick's Festival each year.  The festival features movie screening, comedy shows, cultural exhibitions, musical performance and an art showcase.  There's even a kid-friendly carnival and a giant parade!

While you may not want to host a gala, you can still celebrate St. Patrick's Day with good food, family and friends.  Try Blue Bunny Premium Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream on its own or as part of a Blue Bunny Chocolate Mint Parfait.  Continue the theme with fun and simple clover-shared Blue Bunny Mint Chip Clover Cakes.  If you're watching what you eat, look for our green packaged No Sugar Added Fat Fat Ice Cream for a lower-calorie alternative.  They come in tasty flavors like Brownie Sundae, Caramel Toffee Crunch and the ever needed Vanilla.

Dust off your green and polish your gold, St. Patrick's Day is coming!  Whether you're going out with friends or throwing your own St. Patrick's Day party, you want to get in the spirit!  This ice cream recipe called Chocolate Mint Parfait is a fun way to celebrate St. Patrick's Day.  Use it to surprise your kids or to impress your guests with a festive treat that's ready in no time.  And here are a few fun facts you can share while you are enjoying this tasty dessert:

The green color, a big part of the St. Patrick's Day celebration, was introduced in the United States, not Ireland.  Irish folklore actually holds that green is the favorite color of the Good People (the faeries), who often took away children wearing green.

Cheerful leprechauns are an American invention.  Leprechauns had nothing to do with the celebration of St. Patrick's Day until 1959 when Walt Disney released the moved "Darby O'Gill & the Little People."  The movie introduced America to the friendly leprechaun that quickly became a symbol of both St. Patrick's Day and Ireland.

The shamrock was a sacred plant in ancient Ireland because it symbolized the rebirth of spring.  However, as the English began to seize Irish land and make laws against the use of the Irish language, many Irish began to wear the shamrock as a symbol of their heritage.