Make St. Paddy's Day a US Holiday!

[Shanester]

If you care to, go here and help Guinness make St. Patrick's Day a national Holiday.

[megoscott]

They really ought to make the day AFTER St. Patricks a holiday, that's when people really need it.

[joshvox]

By far my favorite holiday--I'm in!

[The Bat]

I'm Irish...and I LOVE Guinness....COUNT ME IN!!!!!

[Shanester]

They really ought to make the day AFTER St. Patricks a holiday, that's when people really need it.

That was my first suggestion! Its the day after we all need a holiday....

[palitoy]

Bunch of friggin' tourists! Stay outta my pub!

[Wee67]

Its about time Guiness got away from focusing on and promoting its product and and moved more into public policy! I very much look forward to their healthcare policy proposal.

[Adam West]

St. Patrick's day always seems to create some issues every few years.

This year, St. Patrick's day falls in Holy Week which is very important to Catholics. The Catholic Church doesn't feel it's right to celebrate St. Patrick's day when the focus should be elsewhere.

I remember a few years ago, St. Patrick's Day fell on a Friday during lent and most practicing Catholics don't eat meat on Friday's during Lent. The Vatican issued a statement allowing the exception so that St. Patricks day could be celebrated with traditional fare and not feel guilty about eating meat.

[johnmiic]

At the risk of being branded a party-pooper,

Hey, isn't this a religious and/or political thread? I thought we weren't allowed to post this stuff. If that's not the case I guess " St. " Patty's Day isn't really a religious holiday in America then, is it?

[Adam West]

I guess it depends on who you ask. I'm sure that some people treat St. Patrick's Day as a religious holiday while others use it to celebrate their heritage or an excuse to party.

You could say the same thing about Mardi Gras since it is also a quasi religious holiday.

[Wee67]

St. Patrick's day started in Ireland as a feast day to celebrate the saint. People went to mass in the morning and then celebrated with food, song and dance in the evening. (and if the 17th falls in Lent, the church always gives dispensation).

HOWEVER, the holiday in the States has become a much more secular event, so I don't know that its really a religious holiday anymore. I don't think the Irish themselves make nearly as big a deal as Irish-Americans. In the end, I think, like Mardi Gras, the day has moved beyond the religious base (in America, anyway).

[Wee67]

It's all about us Americans, isn't it, Bill?

From Wikipedia: "Saint Patrick's Day is the national holiday of the Irish people. It is a bank holiday in Northern Ireland, and a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland."

Mardi Gras, like Hallowe'en and Boxing Day, is a traditional holiday attached to a religious one. It has never had any religious significance of its own.

I even only speak one language

What I mean is, when I was in Ireland on St. Patty's day, it was observed, but it was not the big party it is here. President's Day is a national holiday here, but its not a big party. That is my clarification of the Irish not making a big deal out of it.

(((of course, all this information has been filtered through my single-languaged, ketchup-lovin', gun-totin' ethnocentric American perspective )))

[Adam West]

St. Patrick's Day is a Holy Day of Obligation in Ireland.

You're right about Mardi Gras being a traditional holiday attached to Lent so it doesn't hold any religious significance in an of itself. I'm just going by memory but I think various sects that celebrate Lent had and have various rules to follow during Lent. It was really strict long ago with lots of fasting, restrictions from eating certain foods or drinking certain beverages, so the idea of Mardi Gras was to have one big party to get rid of the food and drink that would otherwise spoil during Lent when it was forbidden to eat and drink these types of foods.

I can't speak to the various denominational differences but in the Roman Catholic Church, one is supposed to refrain from eating meat on Fridays (they don't consider seafood meat or eggs, milk, etc.). It's no coincidence that McDonald's runs promotions on their Filet O'Fish Sandwiches during Lent. In addition you are supposed to abstain from something that you enjoy during Lent as a sort of sacrifice (the big joke in my family was to give up sky diving). Finally, on Good Friday, Roman Catholics are supposed to have a day long fast.

For those of you who have voluntarily fasted, it is difficult to do just one day. I have a lot of respect for those that celebrate Ramadan. A good friend of mine explained to me that you are not allowed to eat or even drink a drop of water during Ramadan (which I think is a month long) until the sun sets. It is celebrated using the Islamic Calendar so it isn't celebrated the same month every year. My friend said it isn't so bad during the winter time when the days or short but it is absolutely brutal if it occurs during the summer when the days are longer.

[grayhank]

I would be on the opposition of making St Paddies Day a national holiday. All that really means is the Government gets a day off, the schools are closed and no mail. I LIKE MAIL!

[johnmiic]

Yeah, I once heard the people in Ireland were shocked at how Irish-Americans made all the things made green just for the holiday-like beer in some cases. They thought coloring beer green for St. Paddy's Day was just plain wrong. I'm not a drinker myself but green beer-ugh!