Drink, Drank, Drunk?

The most widely celebrated saint on the planet or at least in an Irish Diaspora, those consisting of Canada, New Zealand, Australia, U.K, Argentina. EVERYONE is  Irish on Saint Patrick day. It is celebrate with  parades all over the major cities which light their most famous building with green, Dollorama are filled with green attire, big green plastic hats, shamrocks and beads,  people wear green. Good luck getting in to any pub or club on St Patrick day, having to wait in long lines and pay ridiculous cover or pay for over priced green beer, staggering home with your green broken heels or if your lucky your able to hail down a cab. And if you were in London – do you love riots?  Ah yes St Patrick Day! What is with the hype? Celebrating a Catholic saint with ridiculous amounts of drinking, Religion and popular culture grasping onto a green pint?  And in London with fire!?

St Patrick was born around 385 in Scotland, probably Kilpatrick. At the age of 14 he was captured during a raiding party and taken to Ireland as a slave to herd and tend sheep. Ireland at this time was a land of Druids and pagans. He turned to God, he escaped at the age of 20 to return to Britain, only to have a dream with the people of Ireland asking him to return. He began his priesthood and later became a Bishop, bringing the gospel to Ireland, converting many, using the Shamrock to explain the trinity. A humble pious man, that according to legend banished snakes from Ireland that attacked him on his 40 day fast. March 17 the date of his death came to be celebrated around the world. Blue not green was originally the colour associated with the Irish, until 18th century where emphasis on “wearing the green” a political rebellion that came with sympathy for Irish independence.  As well this day marked the day that Lenten restrictions were lifted on drinking alcohol and eating meat. There is also a legend that while visiting an inn, St Patrick was served a Patrick was served a glass of whiskey, less than full, and taught a lesson of generosity.  He told the innkeeper that the devil that dwelled in his cellar feed off his dishonesty and had to change his ways. Returning to the inn, the keeper was filling his patrons’ glasses to the brim. Patrick found the devil emaciated from his generosity and banished him.  Thereafter, St. Patrick proclaimed that everyone should have a drop of whiskey on his feast day. 

Today this religious festival is now mixed with wearing green, shamrock stickers, drinking Guinness beer and tapping a keg in the mid afternoon, (University of Toronto, Trinity College). It has become an excuse to just completely inebriated all day and night, and representing the Irish.  Would St Patrick agree with the way that his day is being celebrated, probably not.  However for me I really don’t see the hype. Is this an accurate description of the Irish, I don’t think so either. Popular makes the other seem that way, potato loving, and beer drinking Irish. A day for a humble Saint, that is part of Catholic imaginary is turned in to a complete mockery and a distorted misrepresentation of the Irish on every March 17th  in at least an Irish Diaspora. I’ve never been to Ireland so I cant say how it is celebrated, but from what I saw downtown Toronto to what I saw on the news on London, where there was much unnecessary violence and delinquency from overly intoxicated groups of student on a day that should be more respected, that has its roots in Catholic observance of lent. But hey it seems that everyone on this day has Irish in them, and I’m not saying that I’ve never participated in this celebration before either but I must be critical of where and why it came from. It seems that now St Patrick Day can be like any other day that requires excessive drinking like New Years, it has been overly commodified that for most  stepping in to a Church does not even enter ones mind, only stepping into a bar or starting riots