St. Patrick’s Day in the UK

I must be pretty naïve. I told myself I wanted to get in and out of town before 4pm because it’s St. Patrick’s Day, and I didn’t want to be pulled into the festivities. Who would go out drinking at midday anyways?

But, if there are two things I’ve learned about British people, they are:
[1] Brits love to drink.
[2] They love to dress up.

So, I should have known better. If there is holiday set aside to do both, you’d better believe they would take advantage of it. We celebrate the occasion in Toronto. A few pubs will sell green beer and encourage patrons to wear green. The few authentic Irish pubs in the city will have line-ups outside that span the entire block. But, I was not at all prepared to witness St. Patrick's Day on a British scale. 

Pubs’ patrons spilled out into the streets, yelling contentedly and toasting so hard I was surprised that their mugs didn’t smash to pieces. The Market Square, which is normally cleared for fairs and festivals, was filled with people dressed head-to-toe in green clothing. From afar, I felt as though I were on another planet – some really cliché setting out of a 1950s space film, in which all of the aliens are painted green with and outfitted with novelty-sized foam heads.

Overall, it’s quite a joyous occasion. Normally, when I head into Nottingham’s city centre, it is full of drunken students getting out of hand, vomiting in trash cans and crying about their first-world problems. On this occasion, the city was full of people of all ages celebrating a cultural event and sharing their happiness. Although I didn’t take part, it was really lovely to see.

 Here’s a little bit of information about St. Patrick’s Day, just so you know it’s not all about getting trolley-ed, pissed, minced and trousered. The holiday actually marks the arrival of Christianity into Ireland. People wear green because it is associated with the Shamrock, which is believed to have been used a symbol for the Holy Trinity, when explaining it to the newly-converted Irish. It is associated with the lifting of lent restrictions, which explains the boozing.