St. Patrick’s Day Isn’t The Holiday It Once Was

Harvard students celebrated St. Patrick’s Day with green beaded necklaces and an abundance of Guinness beer at the Queen’s Head Pub on Saturday—but their partying among shamrocks and leprechauns has come a long way from the original meaning of the holiday.

The festivities featured a river dancer and an Irish band, as well as an abundance of Irish flags and green paper streamers.

Several inflatable plastic leprechauns were nestled among the beer steins behind the bar.

The event’s river dancer, Whitney L. Kress ’08, gestured to the room’s decorations and said, “I think it means this,” about the significance of St. Patrick’s day. “Music, dancing, drinking beer—everyone dancing and just having a good time.”

But Celtic Languages and Literatures Professor Catherine McKenna said the parades and celebrations associated with St. Patrick’s Day now do not reflect the original religious significance of the holiday.

In Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day was observed as a normal saint’s day with a feast and religious ceremonies until the 1960s.

“I was talking to one of my students the other day, and she said, ‘You know, knowing what I know now about Patrick, I think that he wouldn’t approve,’” McKenna said.

Saint Patrick has been considered the patron saint of Ireland since as early as the 7th century.

Born to a Roman family in Britain around 400 A.D., he was kidnapped, sold into slavery, and forced to herd sheep in Northwest Ireland at age 16, according to legend.

He then experienced angelic visitations that empowered him to escape slavery and guided him to safety.

Patrick eventually returned home, but continued to hear angels and the voice of the Irish, which encouraged him to return to walk amongst the Irish once more.

After becoming a consecrated bishop, Patrick returned to Ireland and spent the rest of his life bringing Christianity to the region.

People in the United States began observing the holiday after massive Irish immigration and the establishment of Irish communities in the early 20th century.

But the focus of the day has shifted from religious ceremonies to ethnic pride and parties in modern times.

“Fun, green, drunkenness,” Marissa L. Long ’08 said at the Woodbridge Society’s St. Patrick’s Day party on Saturday.

“I’m Catholic—I’ve lived in Boston all my life, so it’s a pretty big deal,” she said.

One student said that St. Patrick’s Day one among several holidays that has lost its original meaning to celebrations of heritage.

Referring to how some Italian-Americans observe Columbus Day as a celebration of their ethnicity, Raffael P. Deluca ’08 said, “It’s probably the only response like this you’ll get at Harvard, but I’m Italian, so I’m pretending it’s Columbus day.”