bah, humbug

[rone]

So why has the day that commemorates an Irish saint —whose main claim to fame is complete fiction— become a widespread holiday in the United States? Do i blame Hallmark on this one, or what?

Comments

[pootrootbeer.livejournal.com]

Without any evidence to support it, my theory would be that the large influx of Irish immigrants in the late 1800's led to popularization of St. Pat's in the major urban centers, and as the media industry grew larger with the advents of radio, TV, etc. the urban influence was spread to more rural areas.

[mmcirvin.livejournal.com]

It seems to have started as an immigrant-solidarity thing (http://www.historychannel.com/exhibits/stpatricksday/history/) among put-upon Irish-American populations in the cities. If that History Channel page is correct, it actually began a lot earlier than I expected, before the American Revolution.

[tyggerjai.livejournal.com]

Guinness, more likely.
There's a lot of money in selling alcohol.

Were religious/national holidays exempt during prohibition? ;)

(more seriously, yeah, Boston & New York have some ridiculously huge number of people of Irish descent to some degree or another, and these furriners tend to stick together. Even if they can't pronounce Celtic properly.)

sol.
.

[ratphooey.livejournal.com]

Even if they can't pronounce Celtic properly

Or Gaelic, even.

But it's really about the booze.

[rimrunner.livejournal.com]

Mmm, booze.

[eviltofu.livejournal.com]

Why not just celebrate National Booze Day? Or Saturday as it's commonly know.

[erikred.livejournal.com]

I go out on Friday night, and
I come home on Saturday morning....

[eviltofu.livejournal.com]

Its Saturday in Singapore when its Friday in the US! So, its still Saturday! :P

[2wanda.livejournal.com]

I have some corned beef and cabbage waiting for you, mah dear.

[erikred.livejournal.com]

The lovely Yoko is even now preparing okonomiyaki, which has cabbage in it. I feel like I'm being perversely Irish.

[2wanda.livejournal.com]

ronebofh hates corned beef and cabbage. As soon as he sees that post, I will probably get a spankin'. But then, maybe that's the point. (He is on the train, as we speak, coming home from the city.)

[ronebofh.livejournal.com]

LUUUUUUUUCYYYYYYYY!

[2wanda.livejournal.com]

*ouchy*

[waider.livejournal.com]

I never understood the corned beef and cabbage thing. Over here it's far more likely to be bacon and cabbage, at least in the parts of the country I'm sufficiently familiar with. Perhaps corned beef was cheaper (as in, all the poor immigrants could afford) in the States. Or perhaps my parents were more affluent than I realised, and sheltered me from the horrors of corned beef[1].

I have nothing to contribute on the topic of why our national holiday gets celebrated pretty much worldwide, except that WE 0WN J00 ALL.

[1] Actually I was a major fan of corned beef sandwiches when I was growing up.

[2wanda.livejournal.com]

Why corned beef? (http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OA/pubs/cornbeef.htm)

[waider.livejournal.com]

Aha, the web provides. Obviously it WAY preceded my youth.