As the promise of spring still lurks around the corner, a yearly celebration helps mitigate the lingering chill. After a solid helping of a hearty stew, a little cabbage and perhaps the careful stashing of a flask, what better way to beat the cold and see a little green than attending a St. Patrick’s Day celebration in the city?
This year, real enthusiasts will be happy to know they can catch both Philadelphia’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Sunday, March 14 and New York City’s on Wednesday, March 17. Traditionally celebrated by the Irish and the “Irish for the day,” St. Patrick’s Day has been embraced as a national holiday on both sides of the pond. And though the story goes that St. Patrick was responsible for ridding the Emerald Island of snakes, today, his day honors the freedom of expression, compassion, peace – and all things Irish.
“It’s a big deal,” says Michael J. Bradley Jr., director of the Philadelphia St. Patrick’s Day Parade, which will celebrate its 239th procession in the City of Brotherly Love. Since 1771, five years before the Declaration of Independence was signed, the Philadelphia parade has delighted crowds with bands, floats and thousands of marchers.
This year, festivities begin at 9 a.m. with the Commemorative Parade Mass led by Cardinal Justin Rigali at Saint Patrick’s Church on 20th and Locust Streets in Philadelphia. Then at 11 a.m., the parade gets officially underway at 16th Street and JFK Boulevard in Center City. The route continues down JFK, heads along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and ends in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The community celebration will feature over 25,0000 participants, representing over 200 groups: schools, youth bands, dance schools, Irish organizations, labor unions, police and firefighters, civic groups and military units.
This year’s theme, “St. Patrick: Model of Unity for the Church and the World,” reflects the trend of that parade organizers have nurtured over the past few years. Although originally a simple celebration of Irish culture, Philadelphia’s parade has grown to signify patriotism, the honor of military service and remembrances of political struggles. Promoting the ideals of early Irish immigrants, the parade represents the fruition of patriotic pride. Irish military serving in the British Army wanted to cast off their oppression, and in America, they could do things like wear green, a traditional symbol of Irish pride that was banned in the United Kingdom. Seamus Boyle, the Irish-born national president of the Ancient Order of the Hibernians, serves as this year’s grand marshal.
Though the St. Patrick’s Day Parade receives no direct financial assistance from the city, recent budget shortfalls in Philadelphia have placed strains on the parade’s support. The city has passed along its costs and increased the amount that the St. Patrick’s Day Observance Association, the non-profit organization that hosts the parade, must pay. However, Bradley Jr. is sure it won’t deter his team’s spirits or efforts. “We get a number of out-of-state visitors just for the parade, and a lot of people regard it as the unofficial start to spring. The parade means everything to Philadelphia. We’re going to find a way to put the parade on,” Bradley says, further promising that this year will be the biggest and the best ever.
Never playing second fiddle to anyone, New York City boasts the oldest St. Patrick’s Day Parade in the nation. Now in its 248th year, the event, held every March 17 except when it falls on Sunday, celebrates Irish faith and heritage. Remaining traditional, the parade eschews floats, automobiles and other commercial trappings. “We try to stay true to our roots and to retain the original character of the parade,” says Hilary Beirne, who serves as the parade executive secretary. “It’s more fun that way.”
One of the largest parades in the world, the New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade starts at 11 a.m. at 44th Street, strides up Fifth Avenue past St. Patrick’s Cathedral and ends at 86th Street. Raymond W. Kelly, the commissioner of the New York Police Department, will preside over the festivities as grand marshal, in which about 250,000 people are expected to march. “Every time I see it, I get goose bumps,” says Beirne, identifying with the sense of civic pride the parade inspires. “It really contributes to the fabric of the city.”
Beirne recommends taking mass transit to New York City as the parade attracts upwards of two million participants and spectators. But he insists the travel time is worth it. “There’s nothing else like it,” Beirne says. “It’s a fun day to be in New York. And on St. Patrick’s Day, everyone is Irish.”
Go Online at www. philadelphiastpatsparade.com
www.nyc-st-patrick-day-parade.org