Ann Arbor goes green: Everyone wants to be Irish on St. Patty's Day
Irena Janjic
Issue date: 3/19/07 Section: Inside Ross
- Page 1 of 1
"There are many good reasons for drinking,
One has just entered my head,
If a man doesn't drink when he's living,
How the hell can he drink when he's dead?"
A few things come to mind when St. Patrick's name is evoked. The above verse for one, but also getting pinched for making bad wardrobe decisions, attempting to drink green beer while collecting green beads, attending pub crawls - preferably Irish ones - and this year watching the entire Chicago River turn green. Spiritual renewal and offering prayers for missionaries worldwide is definitely not one of the things that I'd associate with the holiday. It turns out St. Patrick was the patron saint and national apostle of Ireland, credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland. He escaped from slavery, played a key part in preserving European literacy and culture after the fall of the Roman Empire and is believed to have rid Ireland of snakes (sounds like this guy would have no problem getting an offer from McKinsey!). Irish take the time to celebrate their patron saint by going to mass in the morning to offer prayers to missionaries worldwide and subsequently commence celebrating.
Celebration of St. Patrick in Ireland lasts for a few days; all businesses except for bars and restaurants, close (with some exceptions, where religious observations take precedence.) In Dublin, St. Patty's parade lasts 5 days with around 500,000 people attending every year (in fact, a few MBA1s will contribute to that number this year) that features carnivals, dancing, treasure hunts and various family activities. Nobody really knows why March 17th is marked for St. Patrick's celebration but there is certainly numerous theories floating around. The most prominent one is that St. Patrick died on that day in the year 461 AD, and the more probable one to me suggests that March 17th was selected, as it was the day of the Roman Festival where as part of the festivities wine got consumed in huge amounts.
Once I discovered that St. Patty's wasn't just about drinking and pinching, I was compelled to dig for more truths about this widely celebrated festival. So here they are for your perusal:
The Shamrock
The shamrock, referred to as the "seamroy" by the Celts, was deemed to be a sacred plant in ancient Ireland symbolizing the rebirth of spring. In the 17th century, the shamrock became a symbol of budding Irish nationalism. Many Irish started to wear the shamrock on their lapels or caps as a symbol of Irish pride and discontent with the English seizing Irish land and banning the use of the Irish language and practice of Catholicism.
As for the plant itself, there are about 10,000 regular three-leaf clovers for every lucky four-leaf clover. The Irish legends say that each leaf of the clover means something: hope, faith, love and luck (the fourth one, of course). St. Patrick supposedly used a three-leafed shamrock as a teaching aid to explain the Holy Trinity to the pagan King Laoghaire upon his arrival to Ireland.
The Leprechaun
To my great surprise, Leprechauns have nothing to do with the patron St. Patrick or the celebration of St. Patrick's Day. The cheery figure in a strange green outfit we all know and love was created by Walt Disney in his 1959 movie, Darby O'Gill & the Little People. Though an American invention of Irish folk tails, the little green guy has become a widely recognizable int'l symbol of Ireland.
The original name for leprechauns in Ireland was "lobaircin", meaning "small-bodied fellow". They came from Celtic folklore and belief in fairies, "tiny men and women who could use their magical powers to serve good or evil". In Celtic folktales, leprechauns were described as petulant and ill-tempered creatures because they were responsible for mending the shoes of all the other fairies. Some folktales, though very few, also suggest leprechauns were known for their trickery in protecting their treasure.
Irish in the US
The very first celebration of St. Patrick's wasn't in Ireland, but in Boston in 1737, when the Irish soldiers serving in the English military decided to celebrate their Irish heritage. It turns out that General George Washington commanded soldiers of Irish descent and was first to allow his troops a holiday on March 17 in 1780.
There are 34.7 million U.S. residents who claim Irish ancestry today- nine times the population of Ireland. Irish is the nation's second most frequently reported ancestry, right behind the German.
The Chicago River
Though New York has the largest St. Patrick's Day parade, Chicago is even more famous for their annual coloring-the-Chicago-River-green event. The city had been using the color to identify illegal sewage discharges for decades, and in 1962 they realized it could also be used for celebrating St. Patty's. That year there were 100 pounds of green veggie dye released into the river for ecological reasons, which kept the color for a week. Today, the veggie dye amount is reduced to 40 pounds and the river stays green only for a few hours (a more vibrant, emerald green than the usual Chicago River murky shade of green).
Business on St. Patty's
St. Patty's is also known for bringing out the green on the day of the celebration. According to the National Retail Federation survey, youngsters ages 18 to 24 are expected to spend an average of $40.12, those ages 25 to 34, $39.04, and those 35 to 44, $36.56 on St. Patrick's this year. With millions of American-Irish and Irish-wannabes celebrating, it is easy to see how some pubs and restaurants claim their businesses go up as much as 300% on St. Patty's as compared to other holidays.
As Ireland's prime minister delivers a bowl of shamrocks to President Bush, Catholic dioceses allow parishioners to eat meat, and Ann Arborites gather before 7 a.m., waiting for Conor O'Neill's to open, I leave you with yet another old Irish toast:
"Here's to a long life, and a merry one;
a quick death, and an easy one;
a pretty girl, and an honest one;
a cold beer - and another one!"
One has just entered my head,
If a man doesn't drink when he's living,
How the hell can he drink when he's dead?"
A few things come to mind when St. Patrick's name is evoked. The above verse for one, but also getting pinched for making bad wardrobe decisions, attempting to drink green beer while collecting green beads, attending pub crawls - preferably Irish ones - and this year watching the entire Chicago River turn green. Spiritual renewal and offering prayers for missionaries worldwide is definitely not one of the things that I'd associate with the holiday. It turns out St. Patrick was the patron saint and national apostle of Ireland, credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland. He escaped from slavery, played a key part in preserving European literacy and culture after the fall of the Roman Empire and is believed to have rid Ireland of snakes (sounds like this guy would have no problem getting an offer from McKinsey!). Irish take the time to celebrate their patron saint by going to mass in the morning to offer prayers to missionaries worldwide and subsequently commence celebrating.
Celebration of St. Patrick in Ireland lasts for a few days; all businesses except for bars and restaurants, close (with some exceptions, where religious observations take precedence.) In Dublin, St. Patty's parade lasts 5 days with around 500,000 people attending every year (in fact, a few MBA1s will contribute to that number this year) that features carnivals, dancing, treasure hunts and various family activities. Nobody really knows why March 17th is marked for St. Patrick's celebration but there is certainly numerous theories floating around. The most prominent one is that St. Patrick died on that day in the year 461 AD, and the more probable one to me suggests that March 17th was selected, as it was the day of the Roman Festival where as part of the festivities wine got consumed in huge amounts.
Once I discovered that St. Patty's wasn't just about drinking and pinching, I was compelled to dig for more truths about this widely celebrated festival. So here they are for your perusal:
The Shamrock
The shamrock, referred to as the "seamroy" by the Celts, was deemed to be a sacred plant in ancient Ireland symbolizing the rebirth of spring. In the 17th century, the shamrock became a symbol of budding Irish nationalism. Many Irish started to wear the shamrock on their lapels or caps as a symbol of Irish pride and discontent with the English seizing Irish land and banning the use of the Irish language and practice of Catholicism.
As for the plant itself, there are about 10,000 regular three-leaf clovers for every lucky four-leaf clover. The Irish legends say that each leaf of the clover means something: hope, faith, love and luck (the fourth one, of course). St. Patrick supposedly used a three-leafed shamrock as a teaching aid to explain the Holy Trinity to the pagan King Laoghaire upon his arrival to Ireland.
The Leprechaun
To my great surprise, Leprechauns have nothing to do with the patron St. Patrick or the celebration of St. Patrick's Day. The cheery figure in a strange green outfit we all know and love was created by Walt Disney in his 1959 movie, Darby O'Gill & the Little People. Though an American invention of Irish folk tails, the little green guy has become a widely recognizable int'l symbol of Ireland.
The original name for leprechauns in Ireland was "lobaircin", meaning "small-bodied fellow". They came from Celtic folklore and belief in fairies, "tiny men and women who could use their magical powers to serve good or evil". In Celtic folktales, leprechauns were described as petulant and ill-tempered creatures because they were responsible for mending the shoes of all the other fairies. Some folktales, though very few, also suggest leprechauns were known for their trickery in protecting their treasure.
Irish in the US
The very first celebration of St. Patrick's wasn't in Ireland, but in Boston in 1737, when the Irish soldiers serving in the English military decided to celebrate their Irish heritage. It turns out that General George Washington commanded soldiers of Irish descent and was first to allow his troops a holiday on March 17 in 1780.
There are 34.7 million U.S. residents who claim Irish ancestry today- nine times the population of Ireland. Irish is the nation's second most frequently reported ancestry, right behind the German.
The Chicago River
Though New York has the largest St. Patrick's Day parade, Chicago is even more famous for their annual coloring-the-Chicago-River-green event. The city had been using the color to identify illegal sewage discharges for decades, and in 1962 they realized it could also be used for celebrating St. Patty's. That year there were 100 pounds of green veggie dye released into the river for ecological reasons, which kept the color for a week. Today, the veggie dye amount is reduced to 40 pounds and the river stays green only for a few hours (a more vibrant, emerald green than the usual Chicago River murky shade of green).
Business on St. Patty's
St. Patty's is also known for bringing out the green on the day of the celebration. According to the National Retail Federation survey, youngsters ages 18 to 24 are expected to spend an average of $40.12, those ages 25 to 34, $39.04, and those 35 to 44, $36.56 on St. Patrick's this year. With millions of American-Irish and Irish-wannabes celebrating, it is easy to see how some pubs and restaurants claim their businesses go up as much as 300% on St. Patty's as compared to other holidays.
As Ireland's prime minister delivers a bowl of shamrocks to President Bush, Catholic dioceses allow parishioners to eat meat, and Ann Arborites gather before 7 a.m., waiting for Conor O'Neill's to open, I leave you with yet another old Irish toast:
"Here's to a long life, and a merry one;
a quick death, and an easy one;
a pretty girl, and an honest one;
a cold beer - and another one!"
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