Why We Drink Green Beer Once A Year

March 17 is Saint Patrick’s Day, international holiday for university and college students, and all true partiers, reserved for the celebration of green beer. Well, that is what most people would say the holiday’s purpose is. In fact, Saint Patrick’s Day is a 1,500 year old Irish religious holiday commemorating the country’s most foundational figurehead. So, here’s the history lesson on why we sporadically dye everything green every March 17.

Legend has it, Saint Patrick was born into a prominent Roman-British family during the 5th century, A.D., in Britain. His father and grandfather were church deacons, a vocation Patrick would eventually pursue himself. Then, when he was 16, the young saint to be was kidnapped and smuggled to Ireland in order to be sold as a slave.

The young captive was eventually met with a message from God. Instructed to flee to the Eastern coast of Ireland, board a ship, and return to Britain, Saint Patrick followed the divine orders. He successfully returned to Britain, and studied with the priesthood, eventually being ordained. In 432 A.D. he was called back to Ireland in order to help convert aristocracy and peasants alike to Christianity.

Saint Patrick's return to Ireland is when all the folklore originates. For example, the shamrock was conceptualized as a symbol of Irish nationalism due to Saint Patrick’s teaching strategies. He would use the shamrock, or three-leafed clover, as a visual representation of the Holy Trinity - the three leaves of the shamrock are the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The shamrock is now a symbol of Irish Christianity and Saint Patrick, and its green colour has been adopted as a marker of Saint Patrick’s work.

The shamrock symbol later inspired the original Irish folk tune “The Wearing of the Green,” anonymously written during the Irish Rebellion of 1798. And rebels who wore a shamrock in their caubeens during this era were representing their support for Irish Republicanism, at risk of being hung for doing so.

Following Saint Patrick’s death on March 17, 461, the date was recognized as a feast day during the Christian season of Lent. Soon it would be recognized as a Holy day of obligation, eventually becoming celebrated as a one-day break from fasting during Lent. Indulging in feasting and drinking ale, original Irish beer, became common festivities on Saint Patrick‘s Day.

It is also widely believed that Saint Patrick could party with the best of ‘em. Apparently, he could consume over six pints of beer and still be able to beat out any Englishman in a game of darts. That’s my kind of saint.

In 1903, March 17 was originally recognized as a National Holiday in Ireland. In the 1990s, the Irish government utilized the fun spirit of the holiday to market tourism. Now it is commonplace for everyone worldwide to be Irish for one day of the year, an excellent way to create awareness about the country. The biggest Saint Patrick’s Day celebrations are in Dublin, and also in the Irish city of Downpatrick, where the Saint is rumoured to be buried. In these cities, the festivities last all week, resembling an Irish version of Mardis Gras.

Originally published by campusintel.com