Across the United States, on March 16, children may create their traps in preparation for St. Patrick’s Day and go to sleep anxiously awaiting their chance to catch a leprechaun.
Isabel Hirst, a sophomore from Utah majoring in elementary education, said waking up on March 17 and checking her meticulously laid traps in hopes of finding a leprechaun is a beloved tradition she participates in each year.
The website Gods and Monsters says according to legend, for children lucky enough to catch a leprechaun, the supernatural being in the Irish folklore “will either offer to give you a single piece of gold from its collection or it will offer to grant you three wishes.”
Despite her skillful traps, Hirst said every year when she woke up, the trap had been sprung and there would be a gold coin in place of the leprechaun.
Hirst said she learned what she would do if she ever caught a leprechaun from a children's book called “Clever Tom and the Leprechaun,'' which she would read in elementary school.
She said the trick is to never let the leprechaun out of your sight, and since the book says leprechauns bury their gold, always be prepared with a shovel and a bag in case you ever catch one.
Trying your luck
If you want to try your luck at catching a leprechaun, all you need is a box, a string and a stick to create a leprechaun trap, and, of course, a trail of pennies to lure the leprechaun to the trap.
Step-by-step guide
Mortensen said one should lay the trap as follows:
1. Have the box tilted slightly, propped up by a stick.
2. Put a trip string on the ground so when the leprechaun steps in, causing the stick to fall, the box will fall.
She also shared the steps to catching a leprechaun:
1. Put out a bucket of gold.
2. Sit and watch it with binoculars.
3. Grab the little guy when he comes.
Good luck!