They Don't Celebrate St. Patty's Day in Iceland

Oh St. Patty’s Day, how I have enjoyed you in the past few years. Thankfully this year was no different. My expectations for the holiday have been set pretty high after my sophomore year. My friend Emma and I spent the day sipping margaritas and tequila shots on a beach in Mexico. I realize these drinks might have a more Cinco De Mayo flair, but what can I say we were in Mexico! Our day was made sweeter by the fact Happy Hour starts at 11 am in Mexico, and what is not to love about 2 for 1 drinks? Junior year only amplified my St. Patrick’s Day expectations. The holiday again fell during spring break, which I was spending in Colorado with my roommate, Juliana. We started drinking around 2:30 pm at her boyfriend’s duplex with a large group of his friends. This was probably a recipe for disaster but ended being yet another successful celebration. We started things off right with Irish car bombs followed by shots of Jameson. You can’t get more Irish than that! Fun fact- don’t order Irish car bombs in Ireland because they find it offensive. Obviously this is an Americanized St. Patty’s Day tradition. Oh well- the shot is delicious as long as you drink it fast. If not, enjoy your curdled drink. The rest of the day was filled with beer pong, more Irish car bombs, Sunshine Wheat bottles and lots of Irish music. As if carrying on the tradition from the previous year, the night ended with tequila shots at an Irish pub. Ironic yes.

After these two amazing celebrating, I knew my senior year St. Patty’s Day had a lot of pressure to top the past two years. Senior year had a major advantage on the previous two years, I was with a group of friends in Gulf Shores, Alabama. Unfortunately it ended up being rather cold on St. Patty’s day. Not wanting to let the holiday pass without a celebration, we decided to celebrate post-St. Patty’s Day. Since St. Patty’s Day isn’t exactly a real holiday (the post office doesn’t have the day off), we figured there is some leniency in its celebration, and we were right. The next day the beach was a sea of green. My friends and I started the day off with piña coladas to wash down our breakfast. The day consisted of ladder golf, laying out and of course more drinking. Somehow tequila shots made their way into our drinking repertoire. Yes, the tequila tradition continued. Needless to say, post-St. Patty’s Day definitely lived up to its expectations.

This year I was a little nervous about St. Patty’s Day. It fell on a Thursday, which isn’t exactly a prime time to celebrate now that I’m not in college. Luckily my roommate got out of work early, and we headed to Santa Monica where there is a variety of Irish pubs. The first pub had a $10 cover, so we decided to follow this random lady who mentioned she was heading to another pub down the street- O’Briens, sounded legitimate enough to me. Thankfully this pub had no cover and a fairly large crowd on its patio. Heading start for the bar, it seemed with found a gem of an Irish pub. Live traditional Irish music resounded from a back room as people of all ages sipped their Guinness in green getups. I ordered a Strongbow, which is a delicious hard apple cider Juliana introduced me two after studying abroad in Ireland. We headed back outside to enjoy the sunshine and our drinks. After a couple of minutes, a nice surprise headed our way. A bagpiper was making his way down the street in front of the pub. He stepped into the patio and started to play for the crowd. Everyone got really into it, and he was actually very talented. I guess this is the one-day a year you can showcase your bagpiping talents so you better make the best of it. The crowd exploded with applause after he finished his songs.

A little later, our stomachs drew us back to the other pub, which was serving more enticing food than O’Briens. Unfortunately we weren’t the only ones with this brilliant idea. Fin McCools (yes this is the name of the pub) now had a line down the block. A line usually signals the bar is the place to be so we decided to wait it out. Once inside, we were quickly seated at a community table. This bar also had live Irish music, and some people were actually step dancing. Sipping a Magner’s, we were introduced to a variety of new tablemates. From two possibly Australians in scantily clad outfits to a group of creepy old guys, finally two normal people were set at our table. One was a UCLA grad student, and the other a guy from Iceland. Yes, Iceland. Evidently they don’t celebrate St. Patty’s day in Iceland, so we were all trying to explain its novelty in America. Basic definition on how you celebrate St. Patty’s Day- drink. This just topped off my day. I met my first Icelander ironically at an Irish pub in California. No tequila shots this year, but I’m fine with that tradition coming to an end. I hope I never get too old to celebrate St. Patty’s Day. There is just something fun about the combination of wearing green and drinking festive beverages. It’s a small reminder of my college years, once a year for the rest of my life.