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American St. Patrick’s celebrations differ from Irish

March 14, 2008

By: Renny Logan <rlogan@hilite.org>

While in Ireland St. Patrick’s Day is hailed as a highly religious holiday, during which schools, as well as government offices, are closed and families go to church, American acknowledgement and celebration of the holiday tend to be more secular and carefree.

“I wear green and pinch people who aren’t wearing green for fun,” senior Francis Nwosu said. “It’s all just for fun.”

Nwosu admitted he doesn’t know much about the origin or history of the St. Patrick’s Day and that he doesn’t have a bit of Irish in his blood; however, he said he celebrates the holiday anyway, just as a way to have fun.

Junior Erica Gould said she agrees. Gould, as well, celebrates the holiday in her own way. “My dad makes green pancakes for breakfast,” Gould said. “I deck out in green and I have a St. Patrick’s party every year.”

“In Ireland, (St. Patrick’s Day) is a holy day of obligation,” Charles Sinclair, science teacher and an Irish-American. Sinclair said he was born in Ireland and is 100 percent Irish. Not only was he brought up with the culture, he was also educated in a Catholic school system which celebrated the holiday. “We had a lot of Irish as well as Italians,” Sinclair said.

Gould said her reasons for enjoying the holiday are simpler. “I’m not really Irish and I don’t have a religious reason to celebrate it; it’s just one of those holidays that doesn’t get a lot of attention,” Gould said. Additionally, Gould said her favorite color was green and that this contributed to her liking of the St. Patrick’s Day.

Typically, Sinclair said he would take the day off from work but St. Patrick’s happened to fall in Holy Week and he would therefore not take the day off. Any other year, Sinclair said he would have spent the St. Patrick’s playing the bag-pipes at various venues.

What Sinclair will be doing to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day this year, he said, is sitting down to the traditional Irish-American meal of corned-beef and cabbage and potatoes. In Ireland, the meal is traditionally served with Irish bacon, which is similar to corned beef.

Irish or not, the holiday is one celebrated by both cultures. Whether the individual celebrating the holiday indulges in traditions or simply adorns himself in green, the culture of the holiday and the enthusiasm of celebration are what count. Sinclair said, “The Irish have been very conscious of keeping the culture alive both in Ireland and here. (St. Patrick’s Day) is a chance to reflect on heritage. Different cultures have different days; everyone should be proud of their heritage.”

Updated by entertainment · Filed Under Entertainment 

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