Saint Patrick’s Day Pinching: Annoying or Festive?

As Saint Patrick’s Day rolls around in its signature green hue, many people are left in fear of a key aspect of the day itself, the dreaded pinching if you don’t wear green clothing. Each year many people forget to wear green and are forced into a day of annoying pinches and breaches of personal space thinly disguised as part of the festivity.

What once started as a reference to Leprechauns in Irish folklore and culture that would pinch those who do not wear green due to the color being invisible to the creatures has now formed into something of a cultural divide. Many oppose the practice of pinching those who choose not to wear the symbolic green, which symbolizes Ireland’s rich green lands and the Irish immigrant’s pride in their homeland.  

This old part of the holiday is outdated and has been the center of many grievances over the years. Pinching is merely an annoyance that serves to disrupt the enjoyment of Saint Patrick’s day as a whole for those who don’t wear green. People need to stop pinching each other for not wearing green because it invades personal space and forces people to wear clothes they don’t want to.

Despite its traditional origins, many people see pinching as something they have to endure, taking the enjoyment out of Saint Patrick’s day itself. People don’t like getting harassed all day just because they didn’t wear green stemming from forgetfulness or choice, and thus they see the holiday as a nuisance. 

By viewing Saint Patrick’s day as an annoying chore you have to get through as a result of pinching, it invalidates the culture and history behind the holiday. Simply put, pinching needs to go for more people to view the holiday in a positive light. 

The aspect of pinching has made the holiday a nightmare, and with a widespread view opposed to pinching, many more people would likely be more inclined to join in other cultural festivities. 

Pinching has ruined the holiday’s acceptance and turned it into more of a gimmick than an actual holiday people should respect and celebrate. Many Irish people use Saint Patrick’s Day as a source of pride for themselves, and by removing pinching we can solidify that pride even more.

Some may try to argue that if you don’t want to get pinched, you should just wear green, but this argument is poorly thought out for many reasons. This is because many people forget about the day and thus forget to wear green every year, and even if you do wear green there are always people that will still pinch you anyway for the sake of the holiday. 

These arguments prove that if pinching were to leave the holiday of Saint Patrick’s day, the Irish culture would get a lot more respect than it does currently. For this annoying part of the celebration to stop, people just need to decide it’s time for pinching to go.