Happy hour
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Happy hour is a period of time — usually an hour or two in the late afternoons Monday through Thursday -Most of the time between 4 and 7 pm— during which some restaurants and bars give discounts for drinks, especially alcoholic drinks. The idea is that it acts as a promotion of the venue during the quieter times.
The term originated in the United States Navy. In the 1920s, “happy hour” was Navy slang for on-ship performances. “Happy” in this context meant slightly drunk.
The idea of drinking before dinner has its roots in the Prohibition era. When the 18th Amendment and the Volstead Act were passed banning alcohol consumption, citizens would host “cocktail hours” or “happy hours” at a speakeasy — underground drinking establishments — before eating at restaurants where alcohol could not be served. Cocktail lounges continued the trend of drinking before dinner. "Happy hour" entered civilian use around 1960, especially after a Saturday Evening Post article in 1959. Happy hour has become a tradition for many workers, white and blue collar alike.
The push against drunk driving and alcohol abuse has curtailed the use of the happy hour to some extent. In the 1980s, bars started providing free hors d'oeuvres to lower the blood alcohol content of patrons. Glasgow has banned happy hours to reduce binge drinking, as has the Republic of Ireland. Even the U.S. military got in the act, when in 1984 they abolished happy hours at military base clubs.
Despite the controversy, happy hour still exists around the globe. Today in the United States, "Happy Hour" culture consists largely of junior and mid-level professionals getting together for a drink to unwind after work. In the United Kingdom, the cocktail hour serves a similar purpose, and but traditionally begins at 5pm and ends an hour later.
