Irish People Feel Pressured To Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day

Here in America, we pretty much bastardize any foreign holiday and make it our own by turning it into a drunken fest. Think about it: Cinco De Mayo? It's a Mexican holiday and we get drunk while wearing sombreros. St. Patrick's Day? Even if you aren't Irish, you drink like you are on that day.

Well because of this, folks that are of Irish decent feel pressured to celebrate the holiday even if they don't want to.

Marketing lecturer Matthew Kearney, Northumbria University in England, asked about 70 Irish people ranging in ages from 20-40 to keep shopping diaries and would analyze their feelings about their spending as part of his research for "experiences of and attitudes towards shopping with focus on excessive shopping habits."

The result? Everyone who participated celebrated St. Patrick's Day and some even maxed out their credit to make purchases for the holiday. It also showed the cultural importance of celebrating the holiday. Those who didn't spend the holiday in their native Ireland felt compelled by their English counterparts to drink up on St. Patty's Day even if they didn't want to.

Matthew said this was due to the cultural perception of Irish people and what the holiday means to them. So non-Irish people who celebrate the holiday pressure those of the decent to take part because it's perceived that Irish people get heavily drunk on that - Stereotyping? I dare say so.

In any case, if you are or aren't Irish - Join me Saturday night for our Pre-St. Patty's Bash. Info by clicking the button below.

(Science Daily)