Every March, I run an annual countdown to St. Patrick’s Day and partake in the festivities. While Christmas and Thanksgiving are family holidays, I consider St. Patrick’s Day to be a friend holiday. Today, I dressed in green and plan to head out after class for a pint of ale with my friends.
While I’m not Irish or Catholic, the knowledge that I am participating in a commercialized isotope of the holiday taints my fun. They call it St. Patrick’s Day, it celebrates the patron Saint of Ireland, but that’s where the similarities end between the holiday’s origins and today’s North American version.
Since St. Patrick’s death on March 17, around 460 AD, St. Patrick’s Day became a day of obligation, feasting and going to mass. However, like with every other holiday, the marketing gurus have, with great success, commercialized the holiday by adding Americanized elements.
Until the 1970s, Irish laws mandated that all pubs close on March 17. However, the laws were revoked to drive tourism. North Americans have turned the holiday into a day of drinking beer and wearing green, stripping the holiday of its religious significance. Starting shortly after New Years, stores fill with green t-shirts, hats and beads, and restaurants and pubs put of signage, advertising their St. Patrick’s Day events.
From a public relations perspective, St. Patrick’s Day has become an occasion that organizations can take advantage of to develop coverage of various products and services. While chocolatiers have taken over Valentines Day, beer makers have taken over St. Patrick’s Day. Most notably, with Guinness’ attempts to make the day an official North American holiday. Although this may someday help me in my PR pursuits, I can’t help but feel a little sad.
