The demise of the precious hour of sleep at 2 AM on Sunday may seem like a wrenching loss, but there is at least one group for whom it provided a slight (very slight) benefit. That is, in addition to the nominal reason for the hour’s loss, which is the postponement of sunsets for an hour.
The good fortune came to Douglasville citizens who have been impatiently awaiting the onset of Douglasville’s St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. Sunday’s daylight saving clock manipulation removed sixty minutes from the delay—an hour less to wait before breaking out the green beer!
Since we’re discussing the green cast that covers St. Pat’s celebrations (including Chicago’s bizarre insistence on turning the Chicago River green), we might as well admit a historical detail that’s usually ignored. Sorry to say, there are those party-poopers who would tell you that the original color associated with St. Patrick’s Day is…blue!
History is on their side. When Henry VIII, no longer content to settle for just being the King of England, declared himself the King of Ireland in 1542, his design for the Emerald Isle’s new coat of arms was largely blue. The ancient Irish flags were tinted “St. Patrick’s blue” (a light shade). It’s true—even Irish Opposition leader W.T. Cosgrave thought that the blue is “in perfect, traditional, national accord with our history and in close association with the most revered and venerated memory of our patron Saint.”
Historical continuity aside, Douglasville’s celebrants are sure to be wearin’ the green again this Friday. After all, four-leaf clovers are not blue, the Emerald Isle is not blue, any self-respecting leprechaun’s hat is—well, you know. So may the celebration jigs and reels be sprightly, the beer green (and moderate), and a fine day be had by all. When this year’s Douglasville St. Patrick’s revelry subsides, for all Douglasville real estate matters, do call!
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