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I thought Valentine's day fizzled quite a bit this year. St. Patrick's? Not even a blip on the radar.
There was TONS of VDay stuff here. WalMart alone had aisles and aisles of the stuff. Wegmans and Tops (grocery stores) also had tons of crap. Then there's Dollar Tree....that place ALWAYS has TONS of stuff for the various holidays.
For me it seemed to be about the same as last year at least locally. However, in some areas I can see why due to the timing of Mardi Gras this year, which also seems to be more regional in popularity compared to other holidays.
And where I am, Mardi Gras is barely a thing. A handful of restaurants might have some specials, but that's it. It all depends on the residents and their nationalities.
Outside of Chicago and the Northeast, St. Patrick's day is a day when American's practice cultural appropriation and drink beer and whatever else they like to drink. Last year there were some posts on a social media site linking St. Patrick to slavery and discouraging African Americans from participating, but in Addison, TX it looked like those posts had gone disregarded as all cultures descended on the establishments on Belt Line to wear green and have something to drink. This is similar to California where in the Inland Empire, St. Patrick's is a big day to go out and celebrate whatever it is that needs celebrating. Then on Cinco de Mayo, a new round of cultural appropriation happens, and we all socialize together, no matter how many leftist professors tell us we should stress our differences.
This may be a long shot theory, but since those DNA tests came out lots of people who formerly believed they were Irish, found out they're not. Years ago, going out on St Pat's Day everyone would talk about they were Irish and wear buttons that said "Kiss Me, I'm Irish". But they weren't Irish, they were American. And then their DNA test told them they have little or no Irish. I personally know people very disappointed to find this out. I think Americans have some love affair with Ireland and Irish history (for whatever reason) that is really not justified.
And I've spent my life being very displeased that people often confused my ethnicity and assumed that my heritage was from that country. March 17th is just a celebration of alcoholism to me and to be avoided.
If you think St. Patrick's gets overshadowed, poor St. Joseph has his Day on March 19th - he gets overshadowed even by St. Patrick; it's getting harder than ever to find a Sfinge anymore (especially since moving from NY to NC but it's a price I'm willing to pay).
Retailers need to be cautious in investing in stock for what they might see as a dwindling niche market. I might be wrong, but I seem to see less "stuff" for New Year's Eve than there used to be.
I remember in our small town in the Forties and Fifties the competition was a bit more even. While there were many Irish-Americans, they had been followed in the early 20th century by Sicilian immigrants in almost equal numbers. Thus, we had both days to celebrate.
Our neighbor good neighbor Mrs. Zalacca used to bring over delicious homemade cannoli for us on St. Joseph's Day. A wonderful widow raising her child and a superb cook always sharing her delicious food. Great memories of those holidays and that neighbor!
Screw department stores and what they are selling, celebrate with your hearts and your friends.
I think Americans have some love affair with Ireland and Irish history (for whatever reason) that is really not justified.
Really interesting response, snipped here in quote. In my region, St. Patrick's Day is revered to the point of tax dollars being spent on painting traffic strips green. It seems to me, right or wrong, that the reason Ireland and Irish history are revered here in the U.S. has to do with the fact that the Irish were the only group of second-wave immigrants (1880's--1910's) who spoke English. Every other ethnic group in that wave of immigrants was regarded as "children of a lesser god."
I was going to decorate for St. Patrick's Day this year but decided the right thing to do is to spend the money on Easter decor.
It seems that most stores in recent years head straight to Easter after Valentine's Day, instead of stocking a lot of St. Patrick's Day products. Most stores I have seen in recent years carry little to no St. Patrick's Day products, and those that do usually just have it as a small subsection of the Easter section.
It seems that St. Patrick's Day is suffering a similar fate with retailers as is Thanksgiving in recent years, where retailers head straight to Christmas after Halloween.
While I am not Irish, I think a little green doesn't hurt for that day. I usually wear a polo shirt in a color known as Absinthe Green for that day.
Didn't you have a similar question about Thanksgiving?
St. Patrick's day is still celebrated with great enthusiasm in the Northern urban centers from Boston, and much of New England, to NYC, and several Upstate cities, North East Ohio, and of course Chicago. There are some Southern cities that also have celebrations.
Like your question about Thanksgiving, St. Paddy's Day has never been a huge day for decorations.
That said, my next door neighbor has a lighted green Shamrock in her kitchen window. But here, in OH most adults do not adorn their homes.
I don't see St. Patrick's Day losing popularity any time soon.
What I do see is a difference in how it is celebrated among some people of Irish decent. Instead of baking cup cakes with green frosting and wearing celluloid hats, people are baking their own Irish Soda Bread, and learning to make colcannon and other traditional dishes.
There is no getting away from the reality that it will always be a day of celebration for many.
What will I wear? A green sweater and skinny jeans with booties, and Claddagh earrings.
For years the local grocery chain had radio commercials advertising corned beef brisket with someone speaking a stereotypical Irish accent with Irish dance music playing. I figured they stopped because it would be political incorrect to air something like that today.
Outside of Chicago and the Northeast, St. Patrick's day is a day when American's practice cultural appropriation and drink beer and whatever else they like to drink. Last year there were some posts on a social media site linking St. Patrick to slavery and discouraging African Americans from participating, but in Addison, TX it looked like those posts had gone disregarded as all cultures descended on the establishments on Belt Line to wear green and have something to drink. This is similar to California where in the Inland Empire, St. Patrick's is a big day to go out and celebrate whatever it is that needs celebrating. Then on Cinco de Mayo, a new round of cultural appropriation happens, and we all socialize together, no matter how many leftist professors tell us we should stress our differences.
Which was not only mistaken, but ironically so, considering St. Patrick himself was enslaved...
Didn't you have a similar question about Thanksgiving?
St. Patrick's day is still celebrated with great enthusiasm in the Northern urban centers from Boston, and much of New England, to NYC, and several Upstate cities, North East Ohio, and of course Chicago. There are some Southern cities that also have celebrations.
Like your question about Thanksgiving, St. Paddy's Day has never been a huge day for decorations.
That said, my next door neighbor has a lighted green Shamrock in her kitchen window. But here, in OH most adults do not adorn their homes.
I don't see St. Patrick's Day losing popularity any time soon.
What I do see is a difference in how it is celebrated among some people of Irish decent. Instead of baking cup cakes with green frosting and wearing celluloid hats, people are baking their own Irish Soda Bread, and learning to make colcannon and other traditional dishes.
There is no getting away from the reality that it will always be a day of celebration for many.
What will I wear? A green sweater and skinny jeans with booties, and Claddagh earrings.
Here in Central Kentucky, many people whose families have been here for a couple of hundred years have Scots-Irish ancestry, but consider themselves Irish on St Patrick's Day and at other times, since their folks came from the Auld Sod. Other Kentuckians do have Irish ethnicity. We're just 45 minutes from the edge of the Appalachian Mountains, whose culture strongly reflects that of the Scots-Irish and British. Most of the Virginians who founded Lexington had Scots-Irish ancestry.
So - our parade is big and well-attended. Traditional music is popular. Irish dancers and bagpipes are well-received. There's a Shamrock Shuffle. People of all backgrounds, races, and colors proudly wear their green, sometimes accompanied with pins reading "Irish for a Day!" And yes, in some circles, the beer flows.
Back during my 1950s childhood, my mother told me only those who were Irish in ancestry were supposed to wear green. She and I always did - my father, not so much so. Ironically, my mother's "Irish" ancestors were Ulster Scots, and my father's supposedly French ancestors turned out to be very early Irish in origin - DNA testing was too late for him to know, though I passed the word onto his surviving brother and sister, who were both quite amused.
So I'll don my green, honor my ancestors, and if all conditions are go, take in the parade. Soda bread sounds good, but green beer sounds disgusting, so I'll keep the faith and my traditions in other ways.
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