The Wearing of the Green

Better late than never, right?

Out to find a celebratory drink with a friend this past Wednesday after receiving the best.news.EVER, I encountered seas of green-clad people, lines at pubs and bars, and some already drunk individuals (pretty confident this was no later than 8:30pm). It occurred to me at this point to remember not only was it Wednesday ("hump day" in some vocabularies), it was also MARCH SEVENTEENTH. Duh.

Happy Belated St. Patrick's Day!

At another point during the evening I started to wonder how St. Patrick's Day, or rather St. Patrick's day in the United States, came to be what it is: "Saint Patrick's Day is one of the leading days for consumption of alcohol in the United States, and is typically one of the busiest days of the year for bars and restaurants (source)." Because to my knowledge the way we (I use the term loosely) celebrate the holiday is far removed from the observances that take place in its originating nation. We Americans like to wear green, and consume massive amounts of alcohol.

In light of this question, I have finally remembered to look it up. I was curious, but since I have the internet, unlike Hermione I did not go to the library.

Anyways. Here's the link to my first source.

The green wearing part is pretty easy to figure out. It started with "the wearing of the green", or wearing a shamrock pinned to one's clothing. This term might have caused confusion, leading to the wearing of the color green as opposed to the wearing of a green shamrock. These days, green in America, if it doesn't necessarily mean Ireland, has no trouble being associated with it. Not to mention, if you read the article, it was even worn by Irish soldiers in rebellion.

The drinking, I discovered, is a bit harder to pin down.

Interestingly, it appears that for some time in Ireland, the kinds of observances we have here and now were expressly forbidden: "O'Mara later introduced the law that required that pubs and bars be closed on 17 March after drinking got out of hand (see above link for source)". The necessity for this law suggests that drinking heavily in Ireland was also customary on St. Patrick's Day. This contrasts with its origins as a religious feast day and holy day. A few years back, National Geographic interviewed a U.S. resident, born to Irish parents in England, illustrating the differences between Irish and American customs.

So, the answer to the question, when did Americans start to celebrate St. Patrick's Day by getting pissed (trashed, wasted, three sheets to the wind.... pick your slang) is very difficult to find (i.e. I haven't, yet. Maybe I will have to go to the library, after all...). The answer to the question, why do Americans drink so heavily on St. Patrick's Day, well, that one's a little easier to guess at: perhaps we're a ways removed from the holiday's more religious origins. Or, it could be because we (again, used loosely) like drinking, and any excuse will do.