St. Patrick's day has been moved

[Phil]

Shock, horror guys, they've moved the date. Of course you can ignore it and have two days at it instead. Sounds good to me. I particularly liked the suggestion of changing it to Guinness day.
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/...t_patrick.html

[GreenDragon]

i don't like that they're putting St Patrick's day on the Ides of March.

[Tattoo Bradley]

Hmm. This thread might be "pushing it" what with the religious aspect of it.

[sputnik]

Hmm. This thread might be "pushing it" what with the religious aspect of it.

I wouldn't be so certain. While the article cites the Catholic Church's focus on a week of worship, it is also focused on the cultural implications of the church's decree. So long as our conversations are focused on the cultural and society implications of this date shift, there should be no reason for a lock down of the discussion.

[M. A. C. Newsome]

The guy who wrote the article just doesn't get it. Thought so much of the celebration around St. Patrick's day has taken on a secular connotation in modern times, it's still a saint's feast day on the Roman Calendar. In terms of the heirarchy of memorials, feasts and solemnities on the Church's calendar, Mondy of Holy Week "trumps" St. Patrick's feast day. Ordinarily, when something like this occurs, the saint's feast just doesn't get celebrated that year.

However, because of the popularity of St. Patrick's feast, not only in Ireland but wherever the Irish have settled (i.e. the USA especially), the Church has decided to move the feast day so that it can still be celebrated that year. And it's not the first time this has been done. In 1940 (I believe that's the correct year), March 17 was Palm Sunday, so St. Patrick's Day was moved that year, as well. In other words, this is something that the Church does occasionally when circumstances demand it, and nothing really to get excited about.

What this mostly has to do with is liturgical celebrations (the Mass and the Divine Office, to be precise), so if you are not a Catholic and not involved in those liturgies, it really doesn't affect you at all.

However, I couldn't help but think that the 15th will be on a Saturday and that most secular "St. Paddy's Day" activities will likely be on Saturday rather than Monday, regardless.

[Ayin McFye]

However, I couldn't help but think that the 15th will be on a Saturday and that most secular "St. Paddy's Day" activities will likely be on Saturday rather than Monday, regardless.

Exactly. I may not like it too much on how they came to this conclusion, but i'm a pretty positive thinking person, and I'm ok with celebrating St. Patrick's day on a Saturday next year. I'll just celebrate it twice. Once on Saturday, and once on Monday.

[macwilkin]

One thing also that should be pointed out: the St. Patrick's Day parade as we know it is really more of an Irish-American custom, rather than an Irish one per se. It's only been in recent years that this concept has found its way back to Ireland and the Irish expat populations in the UK.

Historians debate as to when the first St. Patrick's Day celebration was held in America; some credit Irish soldiers in the British Army in 1762. Others credit an Irish fraternal & mutual-aid society (who first President was a Presbyterian, btw) of holding the first parade in Boston in 1737.

We do know that Washington's army celebrated the holiday, and it was certainly celebrated in the Irish regiments of the Union Army during the Civil War.

For Irish-Americans, the St. Patrick's Day parade was just as much celebrating their successes in the new world, as well as being a religious holiday.

Mike Cronin's The Wearing the of the Green: a history of St. Patrick's Day is a very good book on the subject and worth perusing, if you are so inclined.

Cheers,

Todd

[DrewO]

One thing also that should be pointed out: the St. Patrick's Day parade as we know it is really more of an Irish-American custom, rather than an Irish one per se. It's only been in recent years that this concept has found its way back to Ireland and the Irish expat populations in the UK.

My wife and I were in Dublin in 2000 for St.Pat's. Everyone told us it was a very religious day and wasn't celebrated as here in the states. Perhaps it was because it was a "millenium" celebration, but it actually turned out to be a raucous 3 day affair.

We were amused/dissapointed at the parade though. No pipers (presumably all in the States getting $$$$$) and the grand finale of the parade was the University of Nebraska Marching Band, chanting "Go Big Red!" and all.

[Ozman1944]

A 'Tempert in a teapot". Saints days are often 'moved' if they clash with a Major celebration of the Church year. All it really means is that the MASS for St. Patrick will be held on the 15th. (The same thing happens if St. Patrick falls on a Sunday, (Christ's Resurrection day) it is moved) As Newsome points out, many saints days are just skipped altogether when this happens, but St. Pat is one of the popular remembrances, both secular as well as religious, so the Church takes this into account.
Patrick was a Catholic Bishop, don't forget, so hence the Catholic Church's "meddling" with one of their own.
Like St. Francis of Assisi, he is one of the few saints honored by both Catholics and Protestants alike, which is always good thing. So, go to Mass, or drink up, or do both; I reckon St. Pat would smile on ANY celebration, no matter what date.

[auld argonian]

You know, here in Chicago it goes on for a week before and up until the actual day anyway...there are countless events at bars and two parades...Irish musicians make their nut for the year all week long...it's St. Patrick's WEEK in these parts.

They used to have a serious problem if the day fell during the week because a huge percentage of City Workers would call in sick and then be found drinking in the bars downtown and marching (or staggering as the case may be) in the parade. I think that they've managed to move both parades to weekend dates for that reason. School kids take the day off as well...the Catholic Schools have just declared it a school holiday as a result.

Best

AA