One of the biggest days of partying of the yearis just around the corner. Whether you are going big in Chicago doing a festive pub crawl along the green Hudson river or going home and just wearing green to avoid getting pinched, here are five things everyone can do to celebrate St. Patrick’s day.

1. Know the origin of the holiday.

St. Patrick’s day is in dedication of Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. He, ironically, was not even Irish; he was British. It is rumored that at the age of 16, he was kidnapped and brought to Ireland. Somehow, he managed to escape and reunited with his family in England. It has been said that Saint Patrick heard voices in his dreams that told him to return to Ireland and save the people. He then became ordained as a priest and spent his life converting the Irish to Christianity. No, unfortunately, he was not the guy who rid Ireland of snakes by luring them into a lake so they would drown. (Fun fact: that is actually entirely false; there were never snakes in Ireland.) People usually celebrated St. Patrick’s Day by attending mass and having a family feast. It was not until the 1970s when Americans commercialized the holiday and made it a giant party.

2. Wear green.

It is a widely known fact that if someone is not wearing green on St. Patrick’s Day, it is the civic duty of those who encounter this holiday Scrooge to teach them the error of their ways. That's right, they get pinched. It will be painful, and it will happen repeatedly. Do not be that person. Just save yourself the trouble and wear green. If you spot a person, friend or foe, without green visibly on their body, give them a good pinch!

3. Drink beer.

In the words of the great Irish folk song "Beer, Beer, Beer":

“A long time ago, way back in history,
when all there was to drink was nothin but cups of tea.
When along came a man by the name of Charlie Mops,
and he invented a wonderful drink and he made it out of hops.

He might have been an admiral a sultan or a king,
and to his praises we shall always sing.
And look what he has done for us he's filled us up with cheer!
Our Lord bless Charlie Mops, the man who invented beer beer beer
tiddly beer beer beer.”

On St. Patrick’s day, we pay our respects to Charlie Mops by drinking excessive amounts of the Irish classic brew, Guinness. If you are not a dark beer person, it is equally as festive to take any pale ale or wheat beer and dye it green.

4. Listen to “Club 2 Da Pub” by The Stubby Shillelaghs.

Hip Irish folk music is the new cool thing to listen to. Just do it. If you’re Irish, you will appreciate it. If you are not Irish, it is still entertaining.

5. Eat corned beef and cabbage.

In my family, we have a tradition on St. Patrick's Day: my mom makes corned beef and cabbage, we eat it on my Irish great-great-grandmother's shamrock china, and we sit down to a nice dinner with family and friends. I highly recommend adopting this tradition. The food is great, but more than that, it is an opportunity to sit down and spend time with the people you love, exchange stories, and have a good laugh.

All in all, March 17 is a great day of beer infused celebration and cheer. The best part is you do not even have to be Irish to partake in all the fun. We are a non-exclusive crew when it comes to merriment and good old-fashioned folk music. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!