Addison Van Curler ‘27, Sports Editor
St. Patrick’s Day has always been known as the day where everyone wears green, drinks green beverages, and pinches those not wearing green. But honestly, is it even a holiday that Americans have a reason to celebrate?
According to the editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, “Patrick’s Day was originally celebrated in Ireland with religious services and feasts in honour of St. Patrick, one of Ireland’s patron saints. When Irish immigrants brought St. Patrick’s Day traditions to the United States, the day evolved into a secular celebration of Irish culture.” As St. Patrick’s Day was originally meant for celebrating Irish culture, America slowly took over the tradition, making it a day for staying out late and drinking at bars.
Ever since St. Patrick’s Day has evolved into becoming an ‘American holiday,’ bars are expected to make a lot of money with large crowds. Talk Business and Politics staff from talkbusiness.net said, “U.S. consumers are wild for St. Patrick’s Day with an estimated 162 million Americans planning to celebrate. The National Retail Federation (NRF) predicts total spending to top a record $7.2 billion, or $44.40 per household.” St. Patrick’s Day can most commonly be seen to bars as a day where they can rely on the extra business. It seems it is not a true day to celebrate anything ‘real’ in America.
St. Patrick’s Day is not a federal holiday in the U.S.. Josh Ong from Business Insider said, “In Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day is recognized as a national holiday—it isn’t in the U.S.. While many cities in the U.S. may celebrate the day and their Irish heritage, it isn’t a national holiday and most people will celebrate after work on the day, or on the surrounding weekends.” For an average bar to succeed on this holiday, they prefer March 17 to fall on Monday-Thursday, which is the most uncommon day for someone to attend a bar. So in reality, most Americans just look forward to celebrating at a bar, or even enjoying a green sensory experience in their own home.
Here at SL, many students have traditions from their childhood. Sophomore Adrianna Ferrell said, “In elementary school, our teachers would mess up our room before we came back from recess. They would say the ‘leprechaun’ did it.” Celebrating the leprechaun was not an original idea from Irish culture. It was soon adapted over time—becoming a common character on St. Patrick’s Day.
Overall, March 17 is just America’s way of saying ‘have fun.’ As many adults attend the bar after work, families also celebrate with green food coloring, and green decorations hung around their house. Although you may not have a true reason to celebrate this holiday, you can still enjoy decorating your house, drinking green water, and wearing green. Enjoy the day, SL.
Lyon Life 