2008 Woodie Awards
The misconstrued meaning of good ol' St. Patrick's Day
Guest Opinion
Patrick Evans
Issue date: 3/16/04 Section: Opinions
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Everyone's favorite March holiday is quickly approaching, and with it brings celebration, parades and heavy consumptions of alcohol. Commercials running on television since early February advertise Guinness beer, stating "Treat St. Patrick's Day like a real holiday." What exactly is St. Patrick's Day about and how does this holiday portray those with Irish heritage in the U.S.?
Being Irish myself, I'll present the history of St. Patrick's Day as I know it. Irish heritage in the United States is so muddled with other ethnic histories that an Irish identity is almost impossible to maintain. What remains of this Irish heritage has become stereotyped and abused.
St. Patrick is the Patron Saint of Ireland, and the story of his life is often inaccurately portrayed. At an early age, St. Patrick became the most famous missionary of the Christian faith in Ireland, converting the people of Ireland from the nature-based pagan religion practiced before 6th Century A.D.
Celebrating to recognize St. Patrick during the month of Lent began in North America on March 17, 1767, as Irishmen serving the British Army marched a parade through New York City. Traditionally, Lent prohibitions were dismissed for St. Patrick's Day, and, after morning church ceremonies, Irish families celebrated their Patron Saint's day with drink and feast.
Like most religious holidays, the true meaning of St. Patrick's Day has been lost amidst various materialistic ideals. Christmas, the celebration of the birth of Christ, became a holiday of celebrating a gift giver named Claus. Commercials in March and April advertise chocolate and bunnies filled with cream for Easter.
With these other examples of misconstrued holidays, there is no real meaning behind the "new" concept of the holiday. This does not hold true for St. Patrick's Day, however.
Ask anybody what they think when they hear Irish and a few select words are commonly answered. People think of drinking Guinness in bars and the Lucky Charms leprechaun when they hear the word Irish.
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Being Irish myself, I'll present the history of St. Patrick's Day as I know it. Irish heritage in the United States is so muddled with other ethnic histories that an Irish identity is almost impossible to maintain. What remains of this Irish heritage has become stereotyped and abused.
St. Patrick is the Patron Saint of Ireland, and the story of his life is often inaccurately portrayed. At an early age, St. Patrick became the most famous missionary of the Christian faith in Ireland, converting the people of Ireland from the nature-based pagan religion practiced before 6th Century A.D.
Celebrating to recognize St. Patrick during the month of Lent began in North America on March 17, 1767, as Irishmen serving the British Army marched a parade through New York City. Traditionally, Lent prohibitions were dismissed for St. Patrick's Day, and, after morning church ceremonies, Irish families celebrated their Patron Saint's day with drink and feast.
Like most religious holidays, the true meaning of St. Patrick's Day has been lost amidst various materialistic ideals. Christmas, the celebration of the birth of Christ, became a holiday of celebrating a gift giver named Claus. Commercials in March and April advertise chocolate and bunnies filled with cream for Easter.
With these other examples of misconstrued holidays, there is no real meaning behind the "new" concept of the holiday. This does not hold true for St. Patrick's Day, however.
Ask anybody what they think when they hear Irish and a few select words are commonly answered. People think of drinking Guinness in bars and the Lucky Charms leprechaun when they hear the word Irish.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
alexis
posted 3/13/07 @ 8:01 PM CST
i think there needs to be a commercial or somthing to let people know st. patrics day shouldnt be mis treated because when it is bad some christans like me arent able to celebrate it if so please contact me id love to be in it!
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