PP, I the U.S. we have several ethnic holidays. Columbus Day for the Italian-Americans, Kwanzaa and MLK days for the Blacks, there's even some states that celebrate Confederate Independence Day. These are all good excuses to get wasted. Sant Patrick's Day was originally a Saint's Festival, but Saint Paddy was patron saint of Ireland , so now it's a celebration of the Irish in other countries. It's really big in the U. S. and Canada, IDK about Australia and N.Z.