Green-shirted revelers, sticky sidewalks and port-a-potties invaded the sidewalk in front of Smoke’s. The smell of Guinness pervaded our Ivy League air. Not quite what you’d expect on a typical Saturday afternoon (unless it was St. Patrick’s Day or Spring Fling — it was neither.)

Although this is my fourth year at Penn, it was my first time that back on campus for the second Saturday of Spring Break. As I was walking to the library to finish up my thesis, I had no idea that I’d be colliding with a massive swarm of drunken Philadelphians.

According to the Erin Express 2007 web site, the tradition began over 30 years ago through the magical partnership of William Pawliczek of Cavanaugh’s and Paul Ryan, Sr. of Smokey Joe’s. Citywide partying occurs during the first two Saturdays of March, “Warm-Ups” for the celebratory “St. Patrick’s Day Special.” Buses run in a circle through Philly, making continuous stops at the participating bars. Interestingly, although several of the bars are nearby campus, the events’ participants are rarely Penn students. Typically, we are all gone for Spring Break.

The official event flyer reads: “May the face of every good news and the back of every bad news be towards us.” But the drunken fights that paved the sidewalk on Saturday seemed to suggest a different spirit. Sure, everyone likes a good party, but perhaps this Philadelphian tradition really downgrades the meaning of a prominent culture in our city. I may not be Irish, but I’m pretty sure that being Irish means more than downing pints of beer and wearing green.

People often think of Boston as the Irish locale — after all, they have the Celtics — but Philadelphia has a huge population of Irish-Americans. Irish culture is rich and vibrant here, and we even have our own Irish Memorial at Penn’s Landing, a national monument that commemorates those who died during the Irish Potato Famine.

College senior and Penn Irish Culture Club preside Megan Richardson says that, “being Irish is more than just drinking,” and she likes “to celebrate the aspects of the culture that make it uniquely Irish,” such as Irish music, dance, authors and food.

“I feel like they should try harder to include more aspects of the Irish culture into their events if they’re going to connect it to St. Patrick’s Day,” Richardson said.

During the Erin Express events, people celebrate a culture that they know nothing about because of the sheer novelty of the holiday and simply another excuse to get drunk. Before doing so, participants should become educated and really understand the traditions and history that they’re pretending to honor.