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When Irish immigrants brought St. Patrick’s Day traditions to the United States, the day evolved into a secular celebration of Irish culture.

In 1848, several New York Irish Aid societies united their parades to form one official New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Today, that parade is the world’s oldest civilian parade and the largest in the United States, with over 150,000 participants. Each year, nearly 3 million people line the 1.5-mile parade route to watch the procession, which takes more than five hours. And this year, it will happen again today, Thursday, March 17.

Celebrating Saint Patrick’s Day could also mean turning a river green in modern times! The dyeing of the Chicago River began in 1962; Chicago city workers dumped 100 pounds of dye into the river flowing through downtown Chicago. It left the river emerald green for an entire week and kick-started an annual tradition. Following a two-year pandemic hiatus, the city of Chicago welcomed crowds back to watch its famous river dyeing for St. Patrick’s Day.

As I was researching the life of Saint Patrick, the following information seemed important to share. He lived during the fifth century and is the patron saint of Ireland and its national apostle. Born in Roman Britain, he was kidnapped and brought to Ireland as an enslaved person at 16. He later escaped but returned to Ireland and was credited with bringing Christianity to its people.

St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated annually on March 17, the anniversary of his death in the fifth century. The Irish have observed this day as a religious holiday for over 1,000 years. On St. Patrick’s Day, which falls during the Christian season of Lent, Irish families would traditionally attend church in the morning and celebrate in the afternoon.

For more history about Saint Patrick, please visit this website
https://www.history.com/topics/st-patricks-day/history-of-st-patricks-day

And for more information on Chicago’s river turning green, visit this site.
https://abc7ny.com/st-patricks-day-green-chicago-river-dyeing-2022/11645732/

For more information about the New York Parade, please visit:
https://www.timeout.com/newyork/things-to-do/st-patricks-day-parade-nyc-guide