Every year on March 17th, St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated. It began as a religious holiday in Ireland and is still celebrated like so in Ireland. In the U.S. it is more of a festival that celebrates Irish culture with parades and a variety of events.

Boston’s parade is the second largest in the country. Boston has one of the largest Irish populations in the U.S., which is why St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated all week there. The parade goes through South Boston and features marching bands, live music and many more fun festivities.

New York’s parade is also one of the largest with 150,000 participants. The bands march down 5th Avenue in Manhattan and it usually takes about five hours to complete the route. Participants of the parade include military bands, firefighters and cultural groups and clubs.

Scranton’s parade is considered to be the oldest, and it is believed to be one of the most popular. Participants include Irish step dancers, local organizations, Irish groups and bagpipers. The parade always begins with a Mass at St. Peter’s Cathedral.

Chicago’s parade was first held in 1956 as the Irish population grew in the city. The way St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated in Chicago is pretty unique. Starting in 1962, they began to dye the river green for the celebrations, and it stays green for about five hours. It causes no harm to the water; in fact, the dye can detect pollution.

New Orleans’ parade also includes marching bands and float riders who throw not only beads, but also ingredients for the Irish stew! Festivities go on for 10 days and include three(!) parades. One of the most popular celebrations is the community block parties, which are free and open to public.

Flickr Creative Commons: Max Talbot-Minkin (CC BY 2.0)
All photos used under this license.