With St. Patrick’s Day approaching, CSUN students are probably wondering how to celebrate this cultural and religious holiday. Rather than celebrating with the traditional green beer, step out to see what CSUN, Northridge and the Los Angeles community have to offer.

But first, it’s important to recognize why St. Patrick’s day is celebrated and who he was. This day marks the day the patron saint of Ireland, Saint Patrick, died. The Irish attend church in the morning to honor the saint and celebrate in the afternoon. Since this day falls during the Lenten season, many restrictions, such as eating meat and drinking alcohol, were lifted. People could then dance, drink and feast on the traditional dish of Irish bacon and cabbage. The immigration of Irish people to the U.S. allowed this day to be celebrated by all, and eventually, become a day of feasting.

For those interested in theater, CSUN’s Valley Performing Arts Center is offering a night with Broadway stars Marin Mazzie and Jason Danieley. They will be performing a combination of their 31 Broadway productions titled “Standard Time.” This musical evening, conducted by Broadway music director Eric Stern, will take place at 8 p.m. at the VPAC’s Great Hall. Tickets range from $40 to $80. Students with a valid CSUN ID receive a 40-percent discount on single ticket purchases.

For the wine connoisseurs, the Woodland Hills Wine Company is having a wine tasting bar from 2-6 p.m. They will be sampling new arrivals, as well as a staff selection of Muscadet for the first tasting flight and Chateauneuf-du-pape for the second. There will be a selection of five wines per flight. Individuals can taste all five wines from the first flight for $12 or taste all five from the second flight for $21.

For those who are going to be in the Hollywood area, Dillon’s Irish Pub and Grill will be open from 6-2 a.m. The pub will be serving breakfast until noon, followed by raffles, bagpipers and people dressed as leprechauns. If the raffles aren’t enough, individuals can also win a trip for two to the Emerald Isle. Besides giving out prizes and providing entertainment, the pub will also be celebrating its third annual Bangers Eating Contest. (Bangers are sausages made up of pork butt, breadcrumbs and water and are traditional pub food in the U.K. and Ireland.) Don’t be afraid to spend since proceeds will go to Together We Rise, a nonprofit organization that helps improve the lives of foster children through counseling and mentoring.

Those looking for a more family-oriented activity, the Orange County Fair Market Place will be celebrating its sixth annual St. Patrick’s Day Festival from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Performances include the Claddagh School of Irish Dance, Aniar Academy of Irish Dance and Fearon O’Connor School of Irish Dance who will be displaying the traditional Irish dances.

People can dance to the tunes of an electric cellist that will be playing Old Celtic favorites. The festival will also have comedy and magic acts for the younger crowd, as well as free face-painting. All can delight in the presence of a stilt walker that will strolling around the festival. And in all things Irish, people can purchase green lemonade and green beer.

As to the green theme of the holiday, there have been many speculations. Some say it’s because Ireland is a country with a vast green landscape, while others believe it has to do with the colors of the flag, which consist of green, white and orange.

Whatever you choose to do for the holiday, make sure you wear green in order to avoid getting pinched!