On March 17 in many places around the world , people celebrate Saint Patrick's Day . Encyclopedia Britannica says St . Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland . He escaped but returned to convert the Irish to Christianity .” Irish people and Irish-loving people everywhere celebrate St . Patrick's Day with religious services , parades , big meals and even bigger parties . The small plants are said to bring good luck . Another decoration is the Leprechaun . He looks like a very small man . And he knows where to find gold . Some experts say that , in Irish folklore , it is believed that Leprechauns can reveal the hiding places of treasures . A colorful rainbow appears in the sky when the sun shines through water droplets . Keep in mind that there is no real “end ” to a rainbow . And that brings us to our idiom : the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow . The “pot of gold at the end of the rainbow ” is something you really want to have or you really want to achieve . For example , let's say someone loves animals and hopes to live out in the country . They could describe their pot of gold at the end of the rainbow as a owning a working farm with cows , horses , dogs and goats ! Finding the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow can also be used to talk about actual money . When we use it this way , we usually mean that wealth has come suddenly . It means you have come into a huge windfall – which means a lot of money ! For example , I found my pot of gold after winning the lottery ! But sadly , that is just an example . However , finding your pot of gold may not be likely or even possible . Because of the unrealistic nature of the pot of gold , this expression is often used in the negative form . For example , a friend of mine was always unhappy . She moved a lot looking for happiness . Her father told her that she was looking for a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow . “It doesn't exist ,” he warned . “You must find a way to be happy wherever you are .” But she ended up moving anyway . Some lessons we have to learn on our own .