by Carol H. Morgan

Created on: March 17, 2009   Last Updated: August 28, 2009

It is strange that an obscure feast day, beginning in some of the obscure areas that St. Patrick was revered, then spreading to the rest of the UK, then to the rest of the world. St. Patrick's day is celebrated in such far-flung areas as Taiwan, along with most of the rest of the globe you can think of. Everyone in the world seems to be Irish on this day. Why would this be? In my opinion there are a few characteristics of this holiday that have encouraged it to spread worldwide.

First, St. Patrick's day is no longer really about St. Patrick or what he stood for at all. In fact, very few people know much about him or who he was, when he lived, or why he has a holiday named after him. It is said to have origins that date to the day he died, and have imagery that showed his talent for using pagan symbols such as clover and green to promote and substitute for Christian icons such as the cross, replacing their pagan gods and goddeses with similar biblical ones such as the Virgin Mary (replacing Dianna, goddess of fertility and childbirth). But the fact that these things aren't stressed or even known probably plays to the holiday's advantage in a way. Only a sixth of the world is Catholic and even fewer of those are devout enough to think that worshipping a Saint equals a good time. This has enabled the holiday to fit in with even non-Christian religions.

Another reason paralells the story of the Irish in America. Did you know that that traditional corned beef and cabbage as a meal for this day was solidified by Irish immigrants in the early 1800's and not back in Ireland? Fist of all, beef was their most important export back in the mother country, so they rarely ate it - it was much too dear. They used salt pork instead for main meals. And so much for potato pancakes as an authentic mainland Irish tradition, because job-seekers left because of the great potato famine in the first place. But when the Irish got to the US they celebrated their comparatively new prosperity, and did it with food, still one of the only things they could splurge on since it was a while before they shook off poverty completely. And beef and potatoes featured squarely in the center of their new traditions. Their food was tasty to the non-Irish as well.

And one thing that most people have alwways believed about the Irish - they know how to have fun. They seem to be able to have more fun during one pub night then some of the rest of us have in our entire lives. That attracts a lot attention

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