March 17th is Saint Patricks Day !
Erin Go Bragh !
“Everyone’s Irish on St Patricks Day”, they say.
And I can see why that might be..
St. Patty’s Day celebrations are held worldwide:
from New York’s world’s largest Parade, to Bueno’s Aires’ Reconquista Pub Crawl,
from Chicago’s green-dyed river, to Montserrat’s National Holiday —
from Savannah’s street party, to Tokyo’s Omotesando-dori Midori no Hi Parade.
And of course, let’s not forget Ireland !
It’s a great day to be Irish..
………… no matter what you are the rest of the year .
Ok…. maybe not in China… 
Chinese Communist Officials have cancelled the annual Shanghai St. Patty’s festival in response to, according to the National Review, “an anonymous Internet campaign urging the people of China to emulate the protests and revolutions that have taken place across the Middle East in recent weeks.”
Shanghai had been holding it since 2007, and it drew over 2,000 people at last count.
I guess the People’s Government are worried that being Irish is contagious.
Hey…. why shouldn’t it be? 
Interestingly enough, this year Ireland’s Tourism Bureau have convinced even more historic and cultural sites all around the globe to “GO GREEN” on March 17–
That is, to be illuminated in green light- to honor the Patron Saint of Ireland, and the Irish National Holiday.
(And to promote tourism to Ireland, of course! )
Those sites include:
Paris’s Moulin Rouge Nightclub,
Sydney Opera House, Niagara Falls,
the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Prince’s Palace of Monaco,
Burj al Arab in Dubai,
Table Mountain in South Africa, the Empire State Building in New York, Burg Theater in Vienna, the Sky Tower in New Zealand, the tall TV tower in Berlin’s Alexanderplatz, The Pyramids of Giza, the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, the Little Mermaid in Copenhagen and….
…………. yes, the Las Vegas ‘Welcome’ sign,
and even the Great Sphinx !!
Niall Gibbons, of Tourism Ireland explains:
” The eagerness to take part underlines the strength of the deep spiritual connection that people everywhere feel to Ireland – a major boost in this special year of The Gathering Ireland. Over 70 million people around the world claim links with the island of Ireland and St Patrick’s Day is a truly unique opportunity to reconnect them with their heritage.”
I think this is very cool.
It makes ya wonder what other kinds of things can be accomplished, doesn’t it?
Not bad for a holiday honoring a Brit who had been taken as a slave by Irish pirates.
That was around the fifth century AD , and much of the details about Patrick are lost in the historical fog.
It is known that when he went back to Britain, he decided to become a priest.
He soon became a Bishop, and saw it as his vocation to covert the polytheistic Irish to the faith.
To this end, in 432, he travelled back to Ireland, and spent almost 30 years there, preaching and teaching.
When he died, he was buried at Dún Pádraig (Downpatrick) , about 20 miles from Belfast.
He is credited with banishing all the snakes out of Ireland….
…. and of course, since there are none there now , maybe he did , I dunno.
He is also credited with organizing the Catholic Church of Ireland, and that he explained the very complicated theological concept of the Godhead and the Trinity using a simple shamrock.
Seems like a pretty good approach, I guess, considering that the shamrock was sacred to the indigenous Druids.
But in the end, Patrick is important as a symbol —
a symbol of Ireland, and the Irish people.
St Patricks Day–
— Lá Fhéile Pádraig —
started out as a feast day in Ireland in the ninth century, commemorating the anniversary of his death on March 17, 461.It became a Catholic holy day of obligation in the 1600’s.The first St Patrick’s Day parade was held in either New York City, or Boston , depending on whose blarney you choose to believe, more or less–
On March 17, 1762, an Irish detachment of British soldiers marched through the streets of Manhattan to celebrate the day……
And, South Boston claims to have held the first parade, sponsored by the Irish Society of Boston in 1737.
I guess one way to solve the controversy is to ask whether Guinness was served at either event…..
And since the first pint of Guinness porter wasn’t served until 1778, well… hmmm.
Today, most cities in the United States have organized events on St. Patrick’s Day….
I especially love the parades. .
So, I’ve come up with what I think are my favorite three……
…….. not including the aforementioned New York and Boston ones, that is.
Or the obvious Gotta-Go-To-Chicago St Patty celebration, either….
Don’t get me wrong..
Those parades are gigantic events, and well worth experiencing.
I just got other ones I like, that maybe you don’t know about.
( I’d love to know what yours are. Drop me a line if you want and lemme know.)
In no particular order, ( that I’ll admit to anyway), my favorites are:
Savannah, Georgia —
You had to know a Southern boy would choose this great festival as one of his faves.( ok, honestly, it IS my number one )One wild week of parties, dances, parties, pageants, parties, cook-offs, parties, leading up to a three hour extravaganza of military, collegiate, local and high school bands, marching past throngs of many-times-overenthusiastic crowds reaching the 400,000 mark, fountains spewing green water, and just plain craziness–
……. all in beautiful, historic, and (usually) tepid and very genteel downtown Savannah.
Shades of Mardi Gras?
It’s not just the humidity that will remind you of it.
Yes.
It is all that and more.
And they’ve been doing it that way since 1813.
The local dairy, Byrne Dairy, even sells bottles of green milk.
Mmmmmm… minty.
If you’re planning to attend this huge Southern Style Saturnalia,
…….. you’d better book your hotel reservations for 2027 now.
Hot Springs, Arkansas —
This unique place in the Ozarks has the distinction of having the smallest St. Patricks Day celebration in America…
….. that anyone knows about, anyway.
The route runs from the bridge in the center of town, to the umm.. center of town.
Actually the route is about 100 feet long,
But, as everybody knows, size doesn’t really matter — especially in this town. (inside joke)
And, that’s not what makes this parade special, anyway.
Nope…
This town can rightfully make the claim to the absolutely weirdest St. Patrick Day Parade.
I been to SFO, I been to New York’s…
This was definitely much more weirdness per capita.
Sorta concentrated weird.
It has to be experienced to be fully understood,
….. but past Grand Marshals have included the San Diego Chicken, Pauly Shore and Mario Lopez.
All surrounded by what I can only describe as a revitalized old frontier town-cum-antique mall, complete with haunted hotel.
Visit, see, experience, and then write me and lemme know what you think.
Definitely in the top three.
Scranton, Pennsylvania–
Now, you may never even have heard of Scranton, Pennsylvania….
But this charming rust-belt-survivor city in the Pocono Mountains holds a St Patrick’s Day Celebration that is called “Scranton’s Version of Mardi Gras”.
Held the Saturday before St. Patty’s Day – or the day of if it’s Saturday –
They draw more than 150,000 people, including many a sundry celebrity and high official …
To see mummers, local bands, bagpipers, step-dancers, romancers, and just about everything else, parade through downtown Scranton, kicked off by a high mass at St. Peter’s Cathedral.
I like this town a lot.
And they know how to throw a serious party.
Will there be beverages?
Why, yes, thank you.
Hooo boy, will there .
ERIN GO BRAGH, and a Happy St. Patty’s Day to you !!!!
.
HOY!