January 12 is National Kiss a Ginger Day!
Although the typical view of Irish people is that we all have red hair and freckles, just ten percent of the population are redheads.
The rest of us are just jealous, and here are a few of the reasons why:
1. A rare and beauteous thing
Although in Ireland up to ten percent of the population are redheads, around the globe, just two percent of people are blessed with flaming locks. Your hair is a gingery beacon among a boring scene of brown and blonde!
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2. The late, great Maureen O’Hara...do we need to say more?
Being a redhead means you’re joining a long line of amazing fiery-haired beauties and heroes including Celtic Queen Boudicca, Winston Churchill, and even Mary Magdalene for Pete’s sake.
Maureen O'Hara. (Getty Images)
3. You absorb vitamin D like a sponge
Bear with us ... Research has shown that Ireland and Scotland have more redheads per capita due to their cloudy grey weather. Basically, our fair hair and freckles allow us to absorb more sunshine. So, no SAD (Seasonal affective disorder) and strong bones for you! How efficient.
Soak it up! (Getty Images)
4. Redheads have their own festivals
Have you ever heard of a blonde or brunette convention? No! Each year in Ireland about 1,000 redheads gather in Ireland for a fierce party. There are other gatherings around the world too, including Redheadday in The Netherlands. Other hair colors are just missing out.
Who has the biggest Redhead gathering on their bucketlist? #OnMyBucketList @TheRedheadDays pic.twitter.com/okXAPOIR2o
— Redhead Days Festival (@TheRedheadDays) October 10, 2020
5. No grey hair
Redheads rarely turn grey, or at least take longer to get around to it. In fact, most redheads skip grey completely going from red to blonde to white.
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6. Flaming good luck
Redheads bring honor and luck. In Poland, if you pass three red-heads, you’ll win the lottery. Ancient Greeks dyed their hair red to show courage, and in Denmark, it’s an honor to have a red-haired child. Of course, there’s also a belief in some countries that to rub a redhead’s head is good luck, but we’ll ignore that.
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7. Bruce Springsteen sings about you
Irish American New Jersey hero “The Boss” wrote “Red Headed Woman." In it, he says, “It takes a red-headed woman to get a dirty job done.”
9. More loving
It’s official! Redheads have more sex. If you don’t believe us, here’s what German researcher Professor Dr Werner Habermehl has to say: “The sex lives of women with red hair were clearly more active than those with other hair color, with more partners and having sex more often than the average.” So there!
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10. Feel less pain than most
I swear we’re not making this up. Studies found that redheads were less susceptible to skin pain and can better handle hot and spicy foods.
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So all in all, and as if we didn’t know, don’t mess with redheads. Being a redhead is cool!
*Originally published in December 2013, last updated in January 2023.
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