When Other Cultures' Holidays Become An Excuse To Party
From St. Patrick's Day to Cinco de Mayo, holidays from specific cultures and religions have been embraced by people looking for a reason to celebrate. What's gained and what's lost?
In one sense, St. Patrick's Day is a failure.
The holiday as we know it in America was promoted by activists to celebrate Irish culture, in order to fight prejudice against Irish immigrants. Today, many of us celebrate by going out drinking and acting out the very stereotypes the day was created to combat.
On the other hand, 150 years ago nativists in the U.S. were burning Irish Catholic churches to the ground. Today on St. Patrick's Day, Americans of all backgrounds wear green, drink Guinness, and put on pins that say "Kiss me I'm Irish." There's something beautiful about that.
In recent years, holidays associated with various other immigrant groups have begun
