- 123Greetings analysis showed that indeed everyone's Irish on Saint Patrick's Day as people from as many as 201 countries participated and exchanged St. Patrick's Day greetings last year.

NEW YORK, March 12, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- 17th of March every year marks a secular and international celebration of the Irish culture.  However, the day originally was conceived to commemorate Saint Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland.  This day is now synonymous with numerous symbolic elements such as St. Patrick's Day Parade, three-leaved clover or shamrock symbolizing the Christian trinity, the four-leaf clover symbolizing luck and fortune, wearing green costumes, drinking beer and having lots of fun.  These elements combine to make St. Patrick's Day popular and endearing internationally. 

It is no big surprise that the Irish Diaspora all over the world celebrate this festival with great enthusiasm in countries such as Britain, Canada, United States, Argentina, Australia and New Zealand. 

What might indeed be surprising to many is that people from 201 countries would send greetings and wishes on this festival.  Countries as distant as South Africa, UAE, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Japan and even Mongolia sent St. Patrick's Day wishes in 2012.  This goes to show how connected the Irish economy is internationally, and how charming and impactful this festival is for people.    

On St. Patrick's Day 2013, 123Greetings.com urges all to celebrate the great Irish culture.  Arvind Kajaria, Founder of 123Greetings.com says, "Diversity of cultures is beautiful and makes our world a much more meaningful place to be in.  We celebrate this diversity everyday at 123Greetings.com helping people express themselves on nearly all festivals around the world.  We wish everyone a very happy St. Patrick's Day, and a great time to people participating in the St. Patrick's Day Parades in New York and other cities around the world."

123Greetings.com has over 400 free St. Patrick's Day ecards across 12 categories only for St. Patrick's Day for people to choose the perfect expression for this fun festival.   

About 123Greetings.com:

123Greetings.com is the world's leading online destination for human expressions reaching over 95 million visitors annually.  Its offering of over 37,500 greeting cards covers a mix of 3,000 seasonal & everyday categories.

For details visit www.123greetings.com.