We drink green beer, kiss the Irish and pinch those not wearing green on St. Patrick’s Day, but why? The history of the holiday is, actually, not entirely clear.
The date, March 17, was established as the official holiday in 1631 when the Catholic Church established a Feast Day honoring St. Patrick—a Catholic priest who had great luck converting Celtic ‘priests,’ or Druids, to Catholicism.
According to TIME, St. Patrick died around the fifth century—an entire 12 centuries before our current celebration of the holiday was practiced. It is said that the “luck” of St. Patrick is based oonff of his personal luck in getting others to convert from the Celtic religion to practicing Catholics.
Marion Casey, clinical associate professor of Irish Studies at New York University, told TIME that back in the 1720s, the holiday was celebrated to remind Christians what the holiday actually stood for—that St. Patrick was the first saint to be associated with a botanical item, or plant, and the custom is now adopted for all saints.
For example, St. Patrick’s “botanical item” is the shamrock and because of this association for so many centuries, we are now hardwired to view shamrocks as lucky; regardless of our religious affiliation.
In 1798, the color green made its way into the St. Patrick’s day circle—the year of the Irish Rebellion. Green was represented in the Irish flag and the royal court, and Irish citizens chose the color as a symbol of relevance in the country’s history. It also helped distinguish them from the British, who wore red, Casey said.
The Irish Rebellion was an attempt to overthrow the Kingdom of Ireland and, ultimately, sever the connection with Great Britain. While, the rebellion failed in its aim to launch a coordinated nationwide uprising, it made a pivotal statement to the country’s state of affairs, according to Irish History.
As for the green beer? That did not come into celebration until 1914 when Irish-American and New York City coroner, Dr. Thomas Hayes Curtin invented the shamrock-colored beverage and it was served at the Bronx Social Club in New York City for the first time that year. According to Kate Hickey at IrishCentral, Curtin turned the beverage green by adding a poisonous substance known as ‘wash blue’ to the beer.
I cannot find proof confirming this, I am willing to bet that Curtin had access to the poison because of his job as a coroner. It would be my guess that he added the ‘wash blue’ to the beer, knowing it would cause a chemical reaction and, ultimately, turn to the shamrock shade of green.
So, in conclusion, whether you partake in St. Patrick’s Day celebrations or not, the history of the day is unique in and of itself! The unique blend of Catholic roots and the Irish Rebellion of 1798 are, perhaps, the two purest reasons to participate in the celebration, but if you like green and you like beer—why the hell not raise a glass?
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