We color our beer (and even our rivers!) green, wear green so we don't get pinched and wear clothing emblazoned in green shamrocks on St. Patrick's Day.

But why? There's a complex history with Ireland's association with the color green.

5 things to know about the history of St. Patrick's Day

Originally, the color commonly associated with St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, was blue.

That’s because blue showed up in the colors of the Irish royal court as well as Irish flags.

However, green has popped up  at various points in Irish history. Some scholars say rebels carried a green flag during the

Great Irish Rebellion of 1641 as Catholic landowners rebelled against the English, who had established a plantation in Ireland.

During the Irish Rebellion of 1798 when the Irish again rose up against British rule in Ireland, the Irish rebels once again chose to wear green.

The British reportedly wore red, while the green-clad Irish sang the song “The Wearing of the Green” during the rebellion.