ThirstyFish

This is another photo from St. Patrick's Day, taken at South Street, Philadelphia.

In Irish folklore, a Leprechaun is a mischievous pigmy old man who makes shoes, and stores his coins in a hidden pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. It is popularly depicted as wearing a red or green coat laced with gold, a red beard and shiny shoes. It is not not wholly good nor wholly evil. If a Leprechaun is ever captured by a human, it will grant three wishes in exchange for release. Leprechauns are given magic powers by fairies in order to protect their hidden pot of gold from humans.

Rainbows have been popular in mythology and culture throughout history, representing diversity, inclusiveness, hope and yearning. Today, rainbow flag most widely represents gay pride. The pride flag was designed by the San Francisco artist Gilbert Baker in 1978. In Buddhism, the rainbow symbolizes "the highest state achievable before attaining Nirvana, where individual desire and consciousness are extinguished".

Probably the most impressive rainbow photograph is "Rainbow over the Potala Palace", captured by the great Galen Rowell in Lhasa, Tibet. The Potala Palace was the chief residence of the Dalai Lama since 1645, until the current Dalai Lama was exiled from Tibet in 1959. Is there really gold at the end of the rainbow?

Song of the Day: Catch The Rainbow - Rainbow (1975)