Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in Style
By Danielle Williams on March 16th, 2015
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March 17th marks the annual celebration of St. Patrick’s Day – a major date in most students’ calendars. St. Patrick’s Day celebrates the introduction of Christianity into Pagan Ireland sometime around the 5th Century by St. Patrick himself. It is often regarded as a day of eating and drinking due to it being a day in the Irish calendar where in the days running up to Good Friday, Lent does not apply. As such it is seen as customary to drink Guinness and wear a piece of clothing coloured green on the day! What better way to celebrate?!
Get Your Green Out!
Quite literally – wear some green! The “Wearing of the Green” as it is traditionally known, comes after the Friendly Brothers of St. Patrick (an Irish Fraternity from 1750) adopted green as their colour. To this day the colour is still adorned by all who wish to celebrate the day. If you’re feeling particularly festive, grab yourself some greenery like a t-shirt or hat and wear it proudly through the day! From shamrock pattern ties to full green suits – there’s no limit as to how bright green you want to dress! If you’re navigating yourself to the nearest pub, you may also be in with a chance of getting your hands on a Guinness Hat like the ones in the above photo!
Have a Guinness
For centuries, Guinness has been a staple drink in Ireland and there is no wonder why. Some love it, some hate it, but it truly is the most festive drink you can have on St. Patrick’s Day. Originally brewed by Mr. Arthur Guinness in 1759, he signed a lease on the St. James’s Gate Brewery for 9,000 years and to this day, Guinness is still being produced there. In fact in the 1930’s the drink was advertised as having actual medicinal and health benefits for those who drank it (although we cannot vouch for those facts!). A heavy stout, it is the perfect drink to get the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations going. Just don’t go overboard!
Attend Local Celebrations
There are many places that you can visit that celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in style. If you are a resident at either The Arch or The Electra then you can attend the Liverpool street festivities. This year there will be a parade in Liverpool so we highly recommend heading down to enjoy the celebrations. If you’re staying with us at The Lyra in London, you can attend for free the celebrations in Trafalgar Square where there will be traditional Irish bands, food and culture for your entertainment!
