Why does everyone think they are Irish on St. Patrick's Day?
AP Photo
I don't pretend I am African American during Kwanzaa
Nor do I dress up and partake in the Chinese New Year
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(Just kidding, kind of)
Why oh why must everyone slap themselves in green (especially gaudy shamrock necklaces and hats) and wish everyone Happy St. Patrick's Day and pinch people who aren't wearing green?
Do they even know what the Shamrock represents?
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I guess these people don't know or don't remember what it was to be an Irish-American during the immigration/potato famine. Consider this:
...No group was considered lower than an Irishman in America during the 1850s...
...Our immigrant ancestors were not wanted in America ...Ads for employment often were followed by "NO IRISH NEED APPLY."...
...They were forced to live in cellars and shanties, partly because of poverty but also because they were considered bad for the neighborhood...they were unfamiliar with plumbing and running water. These living conditions bred sickness and early death. It was estimated that 80% of all infants born to Irish immigrants in New York City died. Their brogue and dress provoked ridicule; their poverty and illiteracy provoked scorn...
The Chicago Post wrote, "The Irish fill our prisons, our poor houses...Scratch a convict or a pauper, and the chances are that you tickle the skin of an Irish Catholic. Putting them on a boat and sending them home would end crime in this country."
From this site
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But First:
Being 1/128th Irish does not make you Irish
Learn the History of St. Patrick
and Ireland
and the Immigration
and then for fun check out this site:
10 fun facts about St. Patrick's Day (image on site not suitable for children)
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O.k. NOW go out, wear your green, drink beer, and be merry pretending to be Irish - but go knowing that St. Patrick's Day is a holiday celebrating a Saint, the shamrock represents the trinity: The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and being Irish wasn't always merry!
