ST PATRICK’S DAY celebrates the arrival of Christianity in Ireland and Saint Patrick who was a bishop in the 5th century and is credited with bringing religion to the country.
The holiday is celebrated each year with parades, festivals, green dress and céilís – a social event that includes Irish folk music, traditional dancing and storytelling.
When is the St. Patrick’s Day Parade?
The St. Patrick’s Day Parade in New York will begin March 17 at 11 a.m. on 5th Avenue and 44th Street in Manhattan.
The holiday is celebrated on the same day every year, but 2022 will be the first time the parade has been held since 2019.
It was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, just days before its scheduled date.
What is the history of Saint Patrick’s Day?
The St. Patrick’s Day Parade was first held on March 17, 1762, 14 years before the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Former Irish Patriots and servicemen of the British Irish Army who were stationed in the New York Colonies were the first to participate in the parade.
St Patrick’s Day has since become synonymous with drinking and Stiofán Ó Cadhla, lecturer in folklore and ethnology at University College Cork, said it was because folklore indicates that St Patrick liked to drink.
“One of the stories associated with it concerns ‘peaca an tomhais‘…, the ‘sin of bad measure’, when St Patrick walks into a pub and orders his pint,” Ó Cadhla told the BBC.
“The publican gives him a drink but he left the glass shorter than it should have, he does not give it its full measure.
“Patrick corrects him and says, ‘You haven’t realized that this sin of mismeasure is one of the worst sins you can commit.’ »
Although the tradition of drinking alcohol on St. Patrick’s Day became commonplace, it was banned in Ireland until the 1970s.
Pubs in Ireland at the time were not allowed to open on March 17 out of respect for the religious holiday and their beloved patron Saint Patrick.
What is the parade route and which roads are closed?
The parade will start on 5th Avenue and 44th Street in Manhattan and will go up 5th Avenue to end at 79th Street.
The St. Patrick’s Day Parade usually lasts until 4.30pm and this year will stop on the steps of St. Patrick’s Cathedral at noon to say a prayer and pay respect to the victims of 9/11 and those who died from the Covid-19 pandemic.
The following streets will be closed until the end of the parade:
- 5th Avenue between 42nd Street and 86th Street
- Madison Avenue between 63rd Street and 64th Street
- Madison Avenue between 78th Street and 86th Street
- Vanderbilt Avenue between 43rd Street and 46th Street
- 43rd Street between Vanderbilt Avenue and 6th Avenue
- 44th Street between Vanderbilt Avenue and 6th Avenue
- 45th Street between Vanderbilt Avenue and 6th Avenue
- 46th Street between Vanderbilt Avenue and 6th Avenue
- 47th Street between Park Avenue and 6th Avenue
- 48th Street between Park Avenue and 6th Avenue
- 62nd Street between 5th Avenue and Madison Avenue
- 63rd Street between 5th Avenue and Madison Avenue
- 64th Street between Park Avenue and 5th Avenue
- 72nd Street between Madison Avenue and 5th Avenue
- 78th Street between Madison Avenue and 5th Avenue
- 79th Street between 5th Avenue and Park Avenue
- 80th Street between 5th Avenue and Park Avenue
- 81st Street between 5th Avenue and Park Avenue
- 82nd Street between 5th Avenue and Park Avenue
- 83rd Street between 5th Avenue and Park Avenue
- 84th Street between Madison Avenue and 5th Avenue
- 85th Street between Madison Avenue and 5th Avenue
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