Informant: Patrick’s Day is kind of a big deal for us.

We usually make a whole meal, roast beef and definitely Irish soda bread. But the best part is this tradition we have with our family friends. We always do this group dance, I think it’s called the Siege of Ennis. It’s for eight people, and there are a lot of formations and patterns. It’s a little chaotic, but really fun.

We do it every year, and I always end up filming it. It’s usually a mix of a bunch of drunk adults and me trying to keep up and make sure I get it on video. It’s kind of a mess, but in the best way.

It’s one of those traditions that’s just stuck, and now it wouldn’t feel like St. Patrick’s Day without it.

Context: The informant is from an Irish American family on the East Coast of the US. Both sides of their family are Irish, but are not first-generation Americans. 

Analysis: At the broad level, St. Patrick’s Day provides a fairly basic backdrop for this family tradition. It’s a widely recognized holiday associated with Irish identity, food, and celebration. The meal (roast beef, Irish soda bread) reflects the more traditional foodways the family participates in during the holiday. Even if the exact dishes vary from “authentic” Irish cuisine, what matters is that they are understood by the group as symbolically Irish and tied to the occasion.

The dance, the Siege of Ennis, introduces another layer. Unlike invented family traditions, this is a formal, traditional Irish dance with established steps and formations. When the ngroup performs it, they are engaging in a form of folk dance, even if informally learned or imperfectly executed.