What season encourages drunkenness, ridiculous amounts of green, and hallucinations resulting in the sighting of mythical creatures? Saint Patrick’s Day has been adopted in the United States due to the mass amounts of people who immigrated here during the famine in the mid-1800s. But how do the Irish celebrate?

Saint Patrick’s Day is a feast day for Ireland’s patron saint, the man who allegedly drove the snakes out of Ireland. Even though most of the stories circling Saint Patrick are false, he is one of the most beloved saints of Ireland. He is usually represented with a three-leaved clover to represent the Trinity, which is why clovers are such a big part of the holiday.

In the United States, many people also take to celebrating this fun holiday. Coronado sophomore Evie Kelley spoke about how her family celebrates Saint Patrick’s Day: “We always have corned beef with boiled cabbage and carrots, and something with onions too. With cottage cheese, and sometimes we’ll get a treat or a Saint Patty’s Day shake and watch something festive.” The traditional means of celebration usually revolves around having a nice dinner of corned beef and cabbage, and some adults will go drinking. But Ireland never dyes their beer green, unlike the US, and has never dyed any rivers green, such as the river in Chicago.

In Ireland, though, the holiday is a much bigger ordeal. It used to be a deeply religious holiday, where they would make their own badges and go to mass, where they would get a special blessing. Now it has evolved into a more secular holiday, with dancing and drinking and live music. One of the biggest celebrations takes place in Dublin, where people flock to the streets to see a huge parade go by. This is called the Saint Patrick’s Day Festival, with lots of singing and live performances which go on for five days. Interestingly, the Irish government did not allow parades until 1995. In Belfast, there are parades around City Hall where people come dressed up to get the feeling of the holiday.

Even though many Irish people celebrate the holiday, the Irish top everyone with their parades, music, and dancing, so grab the leprechaun by the ears and celebrate like the Irish.