St. Patrick's Day is celebrated all across the world on March 17th, but nowhere celebrates with more enthusiasm than the United States. Despite being one of the most celebrated days, it is not actually a "holiday" of any kind. It is not a recognized state or federal holiday. It is just something we do as a culture.
So where did so much enthusiasm come from? How did it pick up so much traction?
Well, the Irish were occupied by the British, but their oppression was more than just a conquering nation subjecting the people to their will. As a nation of protestants, the British punished the Irish with laws that didn't allow Catholics to own property or have any basic rights. This effectively kept Irish Catholics impoverished and under control. The Irish were exiled to various countries for even the smallest infractions.
After their arrival in the US their treatment was not much better. While the laws in the US did not keep the Irish from doing all the things they couldn't in their own country, it was the attitude of those surrounding them that continued to keep them on the outskirts.
So what does this have to do with St. Patrick's Day and parades? Well, the Irish are a hardy, resilient people and in the face of their adversity, they chose to celebrate their heritage, their ethnicity and a love of the country they were no longer in.
In 1737 the Charitable Irish Society was created by a group of Irishmen in Boston. According to Thoughtco.com it is considered legend that they also had a modest parade. The CIS is still a very active group! Here is part of their mission statement from their website.
"Since its founding in 1737, the mission of the Charitable Irish Society has been to provide aid and assistance to newly arrived Irish immigrants in the Boston area as they face the multiple challenges of adjusting to and assimilating into a new city and country – an issue as important today as it ever was! Many individuals seeking assistance are referred to us by other organizations serving immigrants, including the Consulate General of Ireland, the Irish International Immigrant Center, and the Irish Pastoral Centre."
Twenty-five years later, the first known full-scale parade occurred in New York City. As more Irish immigrants continued to increase in the States, parades began to take place in cities all across the country. These parades reminded each other and themselves that they were worthy of being seen. They were not invisible people to be ignored. They deserved to be treated as humans. This became even more of a need as time went on and the Americans continued to treat the Irish as if they were less than. In 1854 the first ad appeared in the classified "No Irish Need Apply"(NYTimes). This phrase would soon become the employment refrain and no matter where the Irish went they couldn't find jobs. The only jobs were the lowest paying and the most dangerous.
Why were the Irish despised so much? Because they were Catholic. The protestants believed that Catholocism was in direct conflict of what it is to be American (sound like a familiar refrain? It seems like the reasons just keep changing). They suffered a great deal at the hands of these Americans who saw them as a threat and blatantly denied them their rights as groups managed to get their Anti-Irish friends elected across the country.
The parades allowed the Irish to cling to their identity, their history and their religion in a very public manner. As time went on and the Irish pushed forward, the parades grew and grew until they became a tradition.
So where can you find the most epic parades?
New York City (no surprise there!) Interestingly this parade has no floats or cars, but more than 100,000 participants that are all performers of one variety or another.
Savannah, GA (When I found this out several years ago, I was surprised) "Although Savannah only has a population of 150,000, it has the second largest St. Patrick's Day parade behind New York City. In addition to the parade, this historic southern city also hosts a three-day long St. Patrick's Day festival. If you arrive in Savannah early, you can also check out the famous "Greening of the Fountain." In the week leading up to St. Patrick's Day, Savannah dyes all of its fountains green, starting with the famous Forsyth Park fountain. (Rand McNally).
Chicago, IL: The third largest celebration in the country is known for using vegetable dye to make the river green!
Boston: Known as the hub of all things Irish, it is surprising that it comes in 4th on thos list! This one is a little bit more of an adult type celebration. There are definitely family friendly activities, but they are known for political roasts and pub crawls.
Find more about this list from the Rand McNally blog
Here in Rhode Island we do not celebrate for a day as they do in other places, bor do we celebrate for 3 days as Savannah does. We celebrate for an entire MONTH. There are 3 major parades in RI.
Pawtucket is always the first weekend in March. The official kickoff of the season is at the Celtic for the Faces of Ireland. This event is a fundraiser and chooses one female amd one male to represent an Irish pair in the parade. It's kind of like electing a royal couple like other parents amd parades do.
A beloved and popular band, Derek Warfield and the Young Wolfetones (not to be confused with the famous band The Wolfetones) played at the Galway Bay Irish Pub.
Then comes the Friday night Grand Marshall dinner where an influencer in the Irish community is honored. This happens Providence and Newport as well.
After the parade everyone goes to the Armory for music, food and vendors with an amazing visit from the Rhode Island Pipes and Drums.
After that everyone goes to their favorite celebration spot.
I will be honest. I don't know much about the parade days in Providence and Newport. Despite being in this state for 12.5 years I've only been to Providence once for St. Patrick's Day.
If you want to attend these celebrations the one thing to remember is the Newport will always have the closest Sunday prior to March 17th and Providence gets the next one.
This year Pawtucket's parade is TODAY! Newport 3/14 and Providence on 3/21
So in remembrance of hwy we have this day to begin with please be kind to one another, be safe and have a great day!
See you at the parade! It starts at noon in front of McCoy stadium.
http://www.rifirepipes.org/
https://www.randmcnally.com/blog/post/the-biggest-st-patricks-day-celebrations-in-the-us
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2015/09/08/insider/1854-no-irish-need-apply.amp.html
https://www.crisismagazine.com/2019/st-patricks-day-religious-holy-day-or-ethnic-holiday
https://www.thoughtco.com/history-of-the-st-patricks-day-parade-1773800
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.history.com/.amp/this-day-in-history/first-st-patricks-day-parade
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