I met my husband in Ellicott City, Maryland, on St. Patrick’s Day. He was out on the town ready to celebrate his “Irish” — while I was out for a good meal and heart-to-heart conversation with friends at a local eatery.

He’s from Worcester, Massachusetts. And as a New England native, he loves St. Patrick’s Day. I don’t mean he loves it — he loves it! In Maryland where I’m from, we don’t turn our beer or our water green, we don’t wear shiny green cardboard hats and shamrock beads, and we don’t cajole others to kiss the Blarney Stone. But all this and more is done in Massachusetts every March 17.

My husband’s family, by contrast, knows who they are and exactly where they come from.

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One of my husband’s first comments to me when we were dating was, “What in the heck is wrong with you people?” The lack of loud, boisterous merriment that evening was truly disturbing to him — he just couldn’t understand why we weren’t standing on our heads to celebrate St. Patrick. After his many incredulous utterances to that effect, my friends and I felt like Victorians partaking in afternoon tea.

For some celebrations, your excitement level depends on where you live. My husband’s grandparents on both sides were Irish immigrants, and he is proud of that. I don’t even know my exact family lineage. When he first asked me, I mumbled, “I think I’ve got some English, some French — maybe a little Scottish …”

I sounded like a dog owner pondering what breeds his canine is made of, or a cook trying to remember elements of his stew. My husband’s family, by contrast, knows who they are and exactly where they’re from. It’s pretty amazing, in a world full of so many unknowns.

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Regional pride — such as New Englanders feel on St. Patrick’s Day — bonds people. Like residents of the Big Easy who bust with pride during Mardi Gras, or Mexican-Americans who heartily celebrate Cinco de Mayo, communities pay homage to heritage, tradition — or both. I think today in Boston it’s more about hoisting a green beer with friends at a pub than celebrating the life of an Irish saint, but does that really matter?

Related: Biggest and Best St. Patrick’s Day Celebrations

Retaining and celebrating our cultural roots is part of what makes us the unique country we are. And there must be something to the luck of the Irish — I have happily lived in Massachusetts for the past 30 years, and every March 17, my husband gives me green carnations to celebrate the anniversary of our meeting.

So, enjoy the day our Irish friends and family treasure. And as my husband likes to say in a comically terrible Irish accent that sounds like the leprechaun in the Lucky Charms commercials, “Good morning and God bless!”