Everyone associates St. Patrick’s Day with Ireland-it’s a celebration of Ireland’s most-recognized patron saint, right? Aside from the fact that Saint Patrick wasn’t Irish (he is said to have been born in either Scotland or Wales), the holiday did, of course, originate in Ireland. But which country, do you suppose, is at the head of the list when it comes to celebrating the big day? Why, none other than the good ol’ USA!
While celebrations take place in most cities across America (where everyone suddenly becomes Irish overnight), one of the earliest St. Paddy’s Day parades (second only to Boston) took place in New York City in 1762. Today, this parade is the largest celebration and parade in the USA, with around 150,000 participants each year that attract millions of people lining 5th Avenue.
Because of its 1 million plus residents of Irish descent, Chicago’s celebration of St. Patrick’s Day is a huge event. Green is everywhere, including the Chicago River, which is dyed green especially for the holiday. Interestingly (if not appetizingly), the idea originally came from sewer workers, who would dye the river green to look for sewer discharges. Other U.S. cities that employ green water especially for the day are Savannah, Georgia (the water in all public fountains is dyed green) and Indianapolis, Indiana (it dyes its main canal green).
Boston has a special tie with Ireland-being the closest U.S. port to Ireland, it was the port though which many of the Irish that were immigrating to America passed. Boston also has the distinction of hosting the world’s first recorded parade for the holiday in 1737, beating Dublin, Ireland by a couple of hundred years. And if you would like to spend your St. Patrick’s Day engaging in the time-honored pastime of drinking, there is no better place to go than Boston, which has more Irish pubs than any city outside of Ireland. Its popular parade, featuring bagpipers, floats and bands, generally attracts upwards of 600,000 people each year.
Savannah, Georgia’s St. Patrick’s Day parade began as a small affair in 1813 to honor a group of men of Irish descent on the anniversary of the death of St. Patrick. Today, it is the city’s largest annual celebration, attracting over half a million people.
If you are on the west coast, don’t despair-just make your way to “the city by the bay”-San Franciso-and enjoy their fabulous St. Patrick’s Day parade that dates back to 1852. This “largest St. Patrick’s Day gathering west of the Mississippi” is entering its 162nd year!
We hope you enjoy your St. Patrick’s Day, no matter where you find yourself. In closing, let us leave you with these Irish words of wisdom, particularly true on St. Patrick’s Day:
“There are only two kinds of people in the world, the Irish and those who wish they were.”
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!