Spring Break
Students hold St. Patrick's Day festivities
Irish holiday celebrated on campus, event not during spring break for first time in three years
Joseph McMahon
Issue date: 3/17/08 Section: News
St. Patrick's Day, the feast day of the patron saint of Ireland, provides millions of Irish-Americans with a time to celebrate their heritage. Over the past several decades, it has grown into a nation-wide festival, including the biggest parade in the world in New York City, where everyone is Irish, at least for the day.
At the University of Notre Dame, where students refer to themselves as the Fighting Irish, St. Patrick's Day is one of the biggest party days of the year. So much so, that the University often schedules Spring Break during St. Patrick's Day.
"I always pray that [St. Patrick's Day] is over Spring Break," said Bill Kirk, the vice president of Residence Life and Housing, at a meeting of the Community Campus Action Coalition last month. Kirk warned the South Bend Common Council that St. Patrick's Day is often a time when many students choose to binge drink.
However, because Easter falls so early in March this year, students are on campus for the event for the first time in three years, and many students are planning on spending the day celebrating.
Senior Vijen Patel said that he and other seniors were organizing a makeshift St. Patrick's Day parade that would take place at 1 p.m. tomorrow.
"We're doing a parade. We arranged a bunch of instruments, like people who used to play trumpet and instruments like that," he said. "We're having a little party during the day, and at 1 p.m. we're going to proceed to campus from our house. We're going to go through some of the classroom buildings and then heading to South Dining Hall."
Patel said that he was inspired when he heard that his roommate's older brother organized a parade five years ago.
"One of my roommate's older brothers had a parade five years ago. So they gave us this idea and then we ran with it," he said.
In addition, Patel said that a deep appreciation for parades was kindled in him by his family.
"I've always been fascinated with parades. My grandfather, my father, we all love parades," he said.
At the University of Notre Dame, where students refer to themselves as the Fighting Irish, St. Patrick's Day is one of the biggest party days of the year. So much so, that the University often schedules Spring Break during St. Patrick's Day.
"I always pray that [St. Patrick's Day] is over Spring Break," said Bill Kirk, the vice president of Residence Life and Housing, at a meeting of the Community Campus Action Coalition last month. Kirk warned the South Bend Common Council that St. Patrick's Day is often a time when many students choose to binge drink.
However, because Easter falls so early in March this year, students are on campus for the event for the first time in three years, and many students are planning on spending the day celebrating.
Senior Vijen Patel said that he and other seniors were organizing a makeshift St. Patrick's Day parade that would take place at 1 p.m. tomorrow.
"We're doing a parade. We arranged a bunch of instruments, like people who used to play trumpet and instruments like that," he said. "We're having a little party during the day, and at 1 p.m. we're going to proceed to campus from our house. We're going to go through some of the classroom buildings and then heading to South Dining Hall."
Patel said that he was inspired when he heard that his roommate's older brother organized a parade five years ago.
"One of my roommate's older brothers had a parade five years ago. So they gave us this idea and then we ran with it," he said.
In addition, Patel said that a deep appreciation for parades was kindled in him by his family.
"I've always been fascinated with parades. My grandfather, my father, we all love parades," he said.