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ST. PATRICK'S DAY LOVE STORIES

ST. PATRICK'S DAY TRADITIONS

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ST. PATRICK'S DAY TRAVEL STORIES

Saint Patrick's Day is celebrated worldwide on (or close to) March 17 by those of Irish descent and increasingly by people of other ethnicities as well, notably in Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and North America. Celebrations are generally themed around all things Irish and, by association, the color green. Both Christians and non-Christians celebrate the holiday by wearing green, eating Irish food and/or green foods, imbibing Irish drink (such as Irish stout, especially Guinness, Irish Whiskey or Irish Cream) and attending parades, which have a particularly long history in the United States and in Canada. As well as being a celebration of Irish culture, Saint Patrick's Day is a Christian festival celebrated in the Catholic Church, the Church of Ireland, and some other denominations. Green ribbons and shamrocks were worn in celebration of Saint Patrick's Day as early as the 17th century. Ireland's patron saint s said to have used the shamrock, a three-leaved plant, to explain the Holy Trinity to the pre-Christian Irish, and the wearing and display of shamrocks and shamrock-inspired designs have become a ubiquitous feature of the day. The phrase "the wearing of the green", meaning to wear a shamrock on one's clothing, derives from the song of the same name. The Irish Society of Boston organized what was the first Saint Patrick's Day Parade in the American colonies on March 17, 1737. The first celebration of Saint Patrick's Day in New York City was held at the Crown and Thistle Tavern in 1766, the parades were held as political and social statements because Irish immigrants were being treated unfairl, and New York's first Saint Patrick's Day Parade was held on March 17, 1762 by Irish soldiers in the British Army. In 1780, General George Washington, who commanded soldiers of Irish descent in the Continental Army, allowed his troops a holiday on March 17 “as an act of solidarity with the Irish in their fight for independence." Today, Saint Patrick's Day is widely celebrated in America by Irish and non-Irish alike. Many people, regardless of ethnic background, wear green-colored clothing and items. Seattle and other cities paint the traffic stripe of their parade routes green. Chicago dyes its river green and has done so since 1961 when sewer workers used green dye to check for sewer discharges and got the idea to turn the river green for Saint Patrick's Day but it last a few hours. Indianapolis also dyes its main canal green. Savannah dyes its downtown city fountains green. The Missouri University of Science and Technology - Saint Pat's Board Alumni - paint 12 city blocks kelly green with mops before the annual parade. In Jamestown, N.Y., the Chadakoin River dyed green each year. The New York parade has become the largest Saint Patrick's Day parade in the world. In a typical year, 150,000 marchers participate in it, including bands, firefighters, military and police groups, county associations, emigrant societies, and social and cultural clubs, and 2 million spectators line the streets. The parade marches up Fifth Avenue in Manhattan and is always led by the U.S. 69th Infantry Regiment when the Commissioner of the parade asks the Commanding Officer if the 69th is ready. To which the response is "The 69th is always ready." New York politicians - or those running for office - are always found prominently marching in the parade. Former New York City Mayor Ed Koch once proclaimed himself "Ed O'Koch" for the day, and he continues to don an Irish sweater and march every year up until 2003, even though he is no longer in office. The parade is organized and run by the Ancient Order of Hibernians.On some occasions, the order has appointed controversial Irish republican figures (some of whom were barred from the U.S.) to be its Grand Marshal.

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