By: Ryan Surmay, Features Staff
Photo Courtesy of Elizabeth Egan
St. Patrick’s Day is a celebration of Irish culture and a day for Americans to wear green and eat corned beef. There is a religious aspect as well as a social celebration among families and friends. Many towns or cities have their own parades to celebrate.
With St. Patrick’s Day weekend coming up, Fr. Stephen Mimnaugh OFM, a friar and interim university chaplain at St. Bonaventure University shared his excitement for the upcoming holiday
“Most people focus on the social significance, and this includes the friars,” Mimnaugh said.
Everyone has a different way of celebrating the event. For many, it is spending time with their families or enjoying a nice meal.
“Having ministered in New York City for many years, another friar and I would seek out our version of St. Patrick’s Day.” Mimnaugh said. “We would usually go to a Jewish deli to have corned beef on rye with coleslaw and Russian dressing.”
A unique part of St. Patrick’s Day is that it is on a Friday this year. Normally for Catholics, they cannot eat meat on Friday for lent.
“In the Diocese of Buffalo, Bishop Fisher has given permission for Catholics to eat meat on St. Patrick’s Day—a Friday during Lent—provided we observe another day without meat,” Mimnaugh said.
Aidan Boyle, a sophomore education major, is Irish American.
“Growing up, I usually went to the St. Patrick’s Day parade in New York City,” Boyle said.
The New York City St. Patrick’s Day parade has been going on since 1762. It is held on March 17. The parade begins on East 44th Street and it ends on East 79th Street.
“My favorite meal to have with my family on St. Patrick’s Day is a Shepherd’s Pie,” Boyle said. “My other favorite part has been just getting to wear my best Irish clothing and getting to celebrate my family’s heritage with friends and family.”
“A staple for myself would be a nice steak and mashed potatoes to celebrate the holiday,” Keelin Coyle, student from Derry, Ireland, said.
“The legal drinking age at home is 18, so this has been my usual for the past four years,” Coyle said. “The bars are usually packed with people and have traditional Irish musicians and singers playing all day.”
Celebrations usually do not just last until midnight of March 17.
“Celebrations will continue into the early hours of the next morning,: Coyle said. “Typically filled with a lot of consumption of Guinness.”
He noted that his sisters, still back in Derry, will be celebrating the holiday differently than him.
“My sisters would have taken part in the parade which can be for a variety of reasons such as Irish dancing, as part of the performing arts center.”
The parade also has a lot of local vendors and clubs to show what they do and contribute to Derry. Coyle said the streets are usually filled with thousands in attendance.
“St Patricks Day is viewed as a much bigger secular event than a religious observance” Mimnaugh said.
Regardless of the celebration style, campus community members say they are excited to commemorate the day with friends and colleagues.
