Green Beer Day

Green Beer Day (GBD) is a day-long party, where celebrants drink beer dyed green with artificial coloring or natural processes. The tradition started at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and was first celebrated in 1952. It is celebrated annually on the Thursday before Spring Break, and has been called Miami University's "biggest tradition".

Tradition

Students begin to drink as early as 1 to 5 A.M. on Green Beer Day; bars in Oxford open at 5 A.M. Many students embark on their first successful entrepreneurial venture on Green Beer Day, selling iconic green shirts to drink in throughout the day. The long day of drinking entails party hopping all over town, with many parties offering free McDonald's breakfast to prevent over intoxication by sunrise. One of the consequences of drinking green beer is that it will turn the tongues of party goers green. If they arrive at class inebriated, they are asked to leave.

Disassociation

While Miami students recognize Green Beer Day, Miami threatened legal action against the owner of the domain www.greenbeerday.com for using the Miami name without permission. Miami changed its timing of its Spring Break in 2009, allowing students to celebrate both Green Beer Day and St. Patrick's Day; when asked if the change was intended to allow Miami students to celebrate twice, Steve Snyder, the executive assistant to the President of the University, responded, "Miami University has nothing whatsoever to do with Green Beer Day." Miami University has encouraged instructors via email to remove students who arrive inebriated on Green Beer Day, in order to combat the tradition.

Green beer

Green beer can refer to:

Beer day

Beer Day is the term applied to an event where a US Navy or Military Sealift Command vessel's personnel are issued, and authorized to consume, beer.

Historical Context

Beginning in 1794 the US congress authorized a daily alcohol ration for sailors. Over time the regulations of alcohol consumption aboard navy vessels changed in various forms until finally on June 1, 1914 Josephus Daniels issued General Order 99, which ended all alcohol consumption.

Authorization

When a vessel has been at sea for 45 continuous days and has more than 5 days left before coming into port, then a ship captain may request permission from the Numbered Fleet Commander to conduct a beer day. This authorization is not automatic and is subject to operational commitments, local threat assessments and the Commander's approval. This event is authorized once every 45 days at sea, so once a beer day is held, the ship's crew has to wait another 45 continuous days without a port call until another beer day could be authorized.

Beer Day (Iceland)

In Iceland, Beer Day (Icelandic: Bjórdagurinn or Bjórdagur) is celebrated every year on March 1, honoring the elimination of the 74-year prohibition of beer. Prohibition lasted from 1915 to March 1, 1989.

Origin

In a 1908 referendum, Icelanders voted in favor of a ban on all alcoholic drinks, going into effect Jan. 1, 1915. In 1921, the ban was partially lifted after Spain refused to buy Iceland's main export, fish, unless Iceland bought Spanish wines; then lifted further after a national referendum in 1935 came out in favor of legalizing spirits. Strong beer (with an alcohol content of 2.25% or more), however, was not included in the 1935 vote in order to please the temperance lobby—which argued that because beer is cheaper than spirits, it would lead to more depravity.

As international travel brought Icelanders back in touch with beer, bills to legalize it were regularly moved in parliament, but inevitably were shot down on technical grounds. Prohibition lost more support in 1985, when the Minister of Justice (himself a teetotaler) prohibited pubs from adding legal spirits to legal non-alcoholic beer (called "pilsner" by Icelanders) to make a potent imitation of strong beer. Soon after, beer approached legalization in parliament—a full turnout of the upper house of Iceland's Parliament voted 13 to 8 to permit the sales, ending prohibition on the island.