People dressed in their finest green shirts will be piling into pubs across the country on Saturday, ordering pints of Guinness Stout and toasting their Irish heritage. Whether you're Italian, German, Polish or English, come St. Patrick's Day you'll be screaming "Kiss me, I'm Irish."
While Americans have embraced the celebration of St. Patrick's Day, few know the true origins of the holiday. Though you may think you are being "Irish" by drinking that Guinness, the truth is that the way Americans and Irish celebrate St. Patrick's Day is completely different.
Thousands of years ago the Irish began celebrating St. Patrick's Day on the anniversary of the death of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. The Irish, who were mostly Catholic, honored St. Patrick by spending the morning in church and the afternoon relaxing with dancing, drinking and eating.
When many Irish began immigrating to the United States, new and slightly different traditions began.
Unlike in the United States, parades, like the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Hartford this weekend, were never a traditional Irish custom.
The first parade was held in 1762, when Irish immigrants in New York City wanted to honor their culture with music, dancing and celebrations. At the time, England still ruled America, so Irish soldiers who served in the British army were featured in the parade marching to traditional bagpipe and drum music.
It was a way for the Irish-Americans to honor their culture and start new traditions of their own.
Another common American tradition that differs from an Irish one is heading to the pub on St. Patrick's Day.
As said, St. Patrick's Day is a holy day in Ireland, not an excuse to go out and get drunk. In fact, until the 1970s, Irish laws mandated that all pubs be closed on March 17.
While bars across the country run specials like $2 Guinness drafts or $3 car bombs-made with Guinness, Bailey's and whiskey- for the holiday, in Ireland Guinness is considered an old man's drink and car bombs are something that kills people, not a drink. Yes, Guinness is made in Ireland and so is Irish cream and whiskey, but just because it is made there doesn't mean that it's an authentic part of their culture.
Another misconception is that leprechauns are the mascot of St. Patrick's Day.
In Irish folklore, leprechauns were minor characters whose primary job was to mend shoes for fairies. They were cranky and known for their trickery, a skill they often manipulated when protecting their fabled treasure.
In Ireland, they aren't associated with St. Patrick's Day.
When Walt Disney released "Darby O'Gill and the Little People" in 1959, Americans embraced the image of the cheerful, friendly, 2-foot-tall leprechaun and it became associated with St. Patrick's Day, according to the History Channel Web site, www.history.com.
Coincidentally, after the movie's release the Notre Dame University's Fighting Irish changed their mascot from a terrier to the leprechaun in 1965, according to the university's Web site.
According to the History Channel, the Irish government adopted the idea of using St. Patrick's Day as an opportunity to drive tourism to the country in 1995, with close to a million people taking part in Ireland's St. Patrick's Day Festival in Dublin.
This St. Patrick's Day, when you head to the bar and order your Bailey's with vodka, remember that although though you are not really participating in a traditional Irish celebration, enjoy and may you have the luck of the Irish.
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