A Little Green Hiatus

Many of us are familiar with St. Patrick’s day festivities, cuisine, and general traditions. Although in the St. Charles area St. Patrick’s day is a day to have fun and party, there is more to it than just that. 

For three days I took a little trip to Rolla for their St. Pat's weekend (Although St. Pat's is March 17th) and experienced their way of celebrating this holiday. In this small, college town, the students have their own traditions passed down from previous years.

For those who don’t know why St. Pat's is such a big deal for these engineering majors and small town locals, St. Patrick was not only the patron saint of Ireland but also for engineering which is Rolla S&T’s (Science & Technology) main area of study. 

Every year students sing and count down several days before St. Pat's on the “puck,” which is a round platform located directly in the center of the campus. You will also find street vendors not selling food, but “Best Ever Saint Pat’s” sweaters and t-shirts in the front of buildings such as Wal-Mart and Bread Co. Also, when walking or driving around campus or around town, you will see the majority of the people wearing green sweaters, Irish t-shirts, and other green/St. Pat’s themed clothing.

Some of the traditions that S&T students follow are fraternity/sorority related. Every year the fraternity Sigma Nu decorates trees with paint and carries them to the center of campus to beat rubber snakes the number of times St. Pat's has been held. (This year it should be 103.) This goes back to the legend that St. Pat drove all the snakes on the island of Ireland to the sea, which is a metaphor for all of his good work. Sig Nu also carries these trees down the green roads of the St. Patrick’s day parade along with one of the three sororities.

During the week of the parade, greek parties are very common. The Thursday before the parade is usually the last day for greek listing parties (only greeks or friends of greeks can get in). Usually these parties are rather large and can hold up to 300+ people, and the majority of college students celebrate by dancing, listening to bands and eating BBQ.