St. Patrick’s Day, commercialized? How can companies and society turn a holiday that is supposed to be in commemoration of a saint into a money-making venture?

Many companies take the holiday as an opportunity to increase engagement and thereby augment the money flow into their business. By creating St. Patty’s Day themed items, such as the shamrock shake, companies aim to attract those celebrating the holiday.

“A study found that out of the 150 million Americans celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, over 80% will wear green.  Drinking alcohol is another tradition that has become increasingly popular on St. Patrick’s Day. Guinness, an Irish beer company, experiences great success during the holiday, selling 819% more beer than usual. Overall, between 5 and 6 billion dollars are spent on St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in the U.S. each year.  Guinness isn’t the only beverage capitalizing on the popularity of the holiday. For 50 years, McDonald’s has been selling the green “Shamrock Shake” seasonally across the U.S., Canada, and Ireland. More than 60 million shakes have been sold.” (insider.com).

Many of us fall into this consume trap when we walk into a store and see something in the theme of a pot of gold, leprechaun, rainbow, etc., we are immediately drawn in to buy the product. This technique is used to attract us by appealing to our visual senses.

In doing this, the main purpose of celebrating St.Patrick’s Day for us Catholics seems to be lost. This day is the death of St.Patrick should really be used to honor his life and memory.

“Saint Patrick had a vision, one that led him to study priesthood. Despite his previous escape, Saint Patrick went back to Ireland willingly to help spread Catholicism. He converted thousands of Irish people to Catholicism, becoming known as the patron saint of Ireland.” (cnn.com).

So let us not forget the main reason of celebration this day, and not veer away from honoring Saint Patrick.