Luck, fortunes, and success — the festivities of Saint Patrick’s Day on the 17th of March are dedicated to such qualities, with tales of leprechauns and shamrocks throughout the festive season. With the concept of luck eagerly discussed throughout the holiday season, people may be struck with the question: what is luck, and what does it mean for this holiday?
Saint Patrick’s Day is an Irish holiday celebrated in remembrance of Saint Patrick. The holiday began with the famous story of Saint Patrick, who explained the concept of the Holy Trinity with the shamrock, more commonly known as the three-leaf clover. This treasured symbol is a mystical plant commonly linked to fortune and the spirit of Saint Patrick’s Day. Its relation to Irish cultural beliefs made it a persistent symbol of faith, hope, and luck within its culture.
Although luck has a major influence on the holiday season, people have differing opinions on the concept of luck itself. Saunak Ghosh (12) explained, “There are some moments where I feel like luck exists. Some days, I have a great lucky streak. I remember finding out I got an A on a test and immediately finding a 5-dollar bill over 10 minutes. It makes me feel like there are some moments where I was blessed with luck.” With various fortunate events occurring, many believe that the concept of luck is not just a coincidence, but a quality. Ghosh addressed, “There are some people that seem to always be lucky. But I also see others who seem always to get the short end of the stick. As some of their coincidences become more and more ridiculous, I think it is reasonable to question if luck truly exists.” With certain individuals always having one end of the luck spectrum, Ghosh believed that some occasions happen due to more than just chance.
However, others believe that the factor of luck is a matter of various coincidences rather than a quality. Isaiah Kim (12) explained, “For me, I think that luck is just a statistic more than a chance. At the end of the day, for certain situations, there are low probabilities for something to happen, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that the event happened because of luck, it just happened.” Although it may be uncommon for certain events to occur, many believe that the event seems more of a coincidence that was already in motion instead of a change in probability. Kim commented, “Luck seems to be more of an expression made within slang and media nowadays. . . like we can say something is unlucky because all the probabilities were laid against you, but I don’t think it is an attribute that someone has.” Although the terminology is persistent within society today, the concept and expression of luck seem to be different for each individual.
Saint Patrick’s Day marks a holiday in celebration of Saint Patrick and has common themes of faith, hope, and luck. With luck being a relevant topic over the month, various people have different perceptions on the meaning of luck, and its role within society. Although everyone may have varying opinions on its meaning, luck remains a central theme in society, celebrating themes of reflection and fortune.
