A German St. Patrick’s Day
In kilometers, I’m closer to Ireland than I’ve ever been on St. Patrick’s Day. Culturally, however, I’ve never been farther away.
I’m studying abroad in Germany and to the locals, March 17th is just another day. Donning green and raising a pint to the Irish might be more important this year than ever to my American friends and me. While we’ve become well integrated into the German culture, the lack of fanfare today is a larger than normal reminder of our distance from home.
On St. Patrick’s Day in America, I’d be putting the finishing touches on dozens of green-frosted sugar cookies for my friends, something that went by the wayside this year. No matter how many times I ask my flatmates or how often I do the calculations, the metric system still eludes me (not to mention the strength of the dollar doesn’t leave a lot of room for baking supplies in my study abroad budget).
Before I moved to college, my mother would decorate the house weeks in advance and make green shamrock-shaped pancakes for St. Patty’s Day breakfast. My brother makes a mean corned beef and cabbage for his friends. The green-dyed Chicago River is a point of pride for many of my university classmates hailing from the Chicago land area. These traditions are the things missed most after months and an ocean of separation. I’m still of course wearing green, but I didn’t purposely pack anything with this holiday in mind. Luckily I have one sweater that has sufficed, though it required doing laundry yesterday (this pseudo-holiday must be a big deal if I’m voluntarily heading to the washing machine before the absolute last minute). One student in my program recently went shopping specifically for her green attire, though she was unsuccessful in her goal of finding a giant green top hat.
Explaining St. Patrick’s Day to non-Americans hasn’t been easy. My teacher explained this morning that Germans don’t even know who Saint Patrick is, but my classmates and I assured her that’s only a minor technicality that’s never stopped anyone before. Without Google, I’m in the dark about the origins of this day as well. Eventually it boils down to just another excuse to binge drink, as if American college students in Germany really need one. We’re headed to the local Irish Pub tonight, though the possibility of no green beer upon our arrival has been tough to swallow. There are some in our group who contest today being a real holiday, but even they have conceded to “a Guinness or two” at our celebration tonight. Whether it’s real or not, being Irish in Germany will be a small reminder of home and not easily forgotten.
