Every St. Patrick’s Day, celebrants deck their bodies out in green, throw on excessive plastic jewelry and enjoy a night on the town that doesn’t end until the next morning. Contrary to what many believe, a wild night of bar-hopping is not how the Irish intended for their holiday to be celebrated.
Since its emergence in America, St. Patrick’s Day has become a commercialized occasion that gives partygoers an excuse to make the rounds at their favorite spots. Amidst their night of fun, people are unaware of what they are supposed to be celebrating. They just see the occasion as an excuse to have a night of revelry.
In reality, St. Patrick’s Day has been a religious holiday in Ireland for over 1000 years. It’s a spring festival that celebrates the patron saint of Ireland who, according to tradition, brought Christainty to Ireland.
As a result of Irish immigrants relocating to America in the 18th century, St. Patrick’s Day’s presence emerged in Ontario and some parts of the United States.
“Unlike earlier waves of immigrants into America, these people coming in tended to be poor, rural, Irish speakers,” Dr. Patrick McDevitt, who specializes in Irish history, said.
“There was a conflict between wealthy Irish immigrants who were trying to establish themselves as Americans, and these poor Irish people who were coming in, but they didn't necessarily want to associate with them,” the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education and the University Honors College said.
As Irish immigrants found their way in America, St. Patrick’s Day enkindled meaning in the United States.
“The early St. Patrick's Day was about building up Irish Americans. It was about showing pride and building St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan. It was about establishing the Irish as political power, as cultural power, and this was in the face of a lot of anti-Irish racism,” McDevitt said.
As time progressed, St. Patrick’s Day generated new significance in Ireland. While Saint Patrick is the reason this holiday exists today, there are other critical moments tied to its history.
“During the civil war in Northern Ireland, the late 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, St. Patrick's Day was often a focal point for raising awareness about the Irish nationalist cause, or the Catholic cause, and was used as a way to bring people to… the Irish Republican side, as opposed to the Unionist side,” McDevitt said.
Due to the stereotype of the Irish being heavy drinkers, many people think they celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with green attire, shamrocks and beer. This misconception is far from the truth.
“When Ireland became an independent dominion, and they started making their own laws, one of the first things they did was ban the sale of alcohol on St. Patrick's Day,” McDevitt said. “From the mid 1920s through the early 1960s, St. Patrick's Day was a dry day. The pubs are closed. You can't sell alcohol. People get up and they go to Mass.”
After the repeal of this law in 1961, Ireland devised a new interpretation of St. Patrick’s Day.
“It's really the 1990s when Ireland really started marketing St. Patrick's Day as Irish culture, as Irish tourism, and now it's a big deal. It's a big drunken sort of thing, but traditionally, it wasn't for much of the 20th century,” McDevitt said.
Aside from celebratory benders, communities throughout the United States host parades to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. It wasn’t until the 20th century that St. Patrick’s Day parades were held in Ireland. Originally, parades in Ireland were in imitation of Irish Americans.
Today, 34.7 million Americans claim Irish heritage, and St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated throughout the country, but it continues to be a commercialized holiday. Before cheersing tall glasses of Guinness this St. Patrick’s Day, take a moment to appreciate the historical moments you’re celebrating.
Haley DiMisa is the assistant features editor and can be reached at haley.dimisa@ubspectrum.com
