Each leaf is said to stand for one gift: faith, hope, love, and luck. While the common three-leaf shamrock represents everyday blessings, the fourth leaf is the extra stroke of fortune that finds only the patient and the observant.
Celtic druids in ancient Ireland prized the rare four-leaf clover, believing it offered protection against evil spirits and let its finder notice unseen beings. With roughly one in every five thousand clovers bearing four leaves, its scarcity carried the legend through medieval Europe and into modern folklore.
Each leaf is said to stand for one gift: faith, hope, love, and luck. While the common three-leaf shamrock represents everyday blessings, the fourth leaf is the extra stroke of fortune that finds only the patient and the observant.
The classic way to keep one is to press and dry it between the pages of a book, then tuck it into a wallet or journal. Giving a found clover away is thought to share the luck rather than lose it.