Irish people brought Saint Patrick's Day to what is now the United States of America. The first civic and public celebration of Saint Patrick's Day took place in Boston, Massachusetts in 1737.[22] During this first celebration The Charitable Irish Society of Boston organized what was the first Saint Patrick's Day Parade in the colonies on 17 March 1737.[23] The first celebration of Saint Patrick's Day in New York City was held at the Crown and Thistle Tavern in 1756,[24] and New York's first Saint Patrick's Day Parade was held on 17 March 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 17 March. This event became known as The St. Patrick's Day Encampment of 1780.[23] Today, Saint Patrick's Day is widely celebrated in America by Irish and non-Irish alike.
Americans celebrate the holiday by wearing green clothing. Many people, regardless of ethnic background, wear green-coloured clothing and items. Traditionally, those who are caught not wearing green are pinched.[25]
Some 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 St. Patrick's Day.[26] Indianapolis also dyes its main canal green. Savannah dyes its downtown city fountains green. University of Missouri Rolla - St Pat's Board Alumni paint 12 city blocks kelly green with mops before the annual parade.[citation needed]
Many parades are held to celebrate the holiday including the cities listed below:
Postcard mailed in the United States in 1912
The longest-running Saint Patrick's Day celebrations in the U.S. are:
* Boston, Massachusetts, since 1737
* New York City, since 1762 (247th Consecutive Parade in 2008)
* Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, since 1771
* Morristown, New Jersey, since 1780
* New Orleans, Louisiana, since 1809
* Buffalo, New York, since 1811
* Savannah, Georgia, since 1813
* Carbondale, Pennsylvania, since 1833
* Milwaukee, Wisconsin, since 1843
* Chicago, Illinois, since 1843
* New Haven, Connecticut, since 1845
* Saint Paul, Minnesota, since 1851[27]
* San Francisco, California, since 1852
* Scranton, Pennsylvania, since 1862
* Cleveland, Ohio, since 1867
* Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, since 1869[28]
* Kansas City, Missouri, since 1873
* Butte, Montana, since 1882
* Rolla, Missouri, since 1908
* Holyoke, Massachusetts, since 1951
* Baltimore, since 1956
* Denver, Colorado, since 1962
* Las Vegas, Nevada since 1966
Savannah, GA, boasts the unofficial largest attendance with 750,000 in 2006.[citation needed] Unlike other cities, the parade in Savannah takes place on the actual day of Saint Patrick's Day, even if that day is during the work week. However, the 2008 parade took place on Friday, 14 March, to honour Holy week in the Catholic faith.[29] In 2006, the Tánaiste was featured in the parade. Since the parade travels through Savannah's Historic Park District, one tradition that has developed has been the official "dyeing of the fountains" which happens several days before the parade. It has also become tradition for women spectators to kiss the Armed Forces Units and other military organization's male members. Savannah does not have an open container law so there is a proliferation of alcohol on River Street, Bay Street and in City Market.
Portions of this article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "St Patrick Day".
Citations and notes
22. a b Johnson, Bridget (17 March, 2006). 17 March, 2007"Lucky for the Irish". National Review Online.
23. a b "Saint Patrick’s Day". Encarta (URL accessed 19 March, 2007)
24. "March 17, 1756 in History." Brainy History. (URL accessed 17 March, 2006)
25. BBC - h2g2 - St Patrick's Day
26. MSN - View of Celebrations of St. Patrick's Day in the U.S.
27. Kunz, Virginia Brainard. Saint Paul: The First One Hundred and Fifty Years. Bookmen. pp. 33. ISBN 0-9630690-0-4.
28. "History of Pittsburgh's St. Patrick's Day Parade." (URL accessed October 5, 2006)
29. Savannah, Georgia - Saint Patrick's Day Celebration
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