Possibly the city’s most celebrated holiday, St. Patrick’s Day in Chicago draws visitors from all over the US and the world. Chicago has emerged as the fourth largest Irish city in America and with such a great number of residents, there’s certainly a lot to do for St. Paddy’s in Chicago, but let’s take a look back on how it all got started.
Den første Chicago St. Patrick's Day-parade
Den første St. Patrick's Day-parade fandt sted i centrum af Chicago den 17. marts 1843. Grand Marshal "Smiling John" Davlin begyndte på Clark Street og førte de første deltagere ned ad Michigan Avenue og ind i den katolske kirke St. Mary's til messe. Traditionen fortsatte indtil 1896, hvorefter den pludselig ophørte af ukendte årsager.
In 1956, Mayor Richard J. Daley officially resurrected the Loop’s St. Patrick’s Day parade with the explicit intention of celebrating Chicago’s Irish heritage. And so, the Downtown parade continues to today, along Columbus Drive between Balbo Drive and Monroe, and is still led by the famed Shannon Rovers Irish Pipe Band, as it was in 1956.
The Green River
The famous dyeing of the Chicago River first occurred in 1962 and is purported to have been inspired by Stephen Bailey of the Chicago Journeymen Plumbers Local 110, who noticed that dye used to detect if pipes were leaking had left a colleague’s overalls bright green. The dye itself is actually orange, surprisingly, but when it mixes with water it turns a beautiful emerald green. This tradition is unique to Chicago with approximately 400,000 spectators crowding the banks of the Chicago River to marvel at this.
The Chicago River dyeing originally used 100 pounds of dye that would keep the river green for days, but now 40 pounds of a very secret (but eco-friendly) recipe is used, and the river only stays green for about five hours. Chicago lore has it that revealing the details of this would be compared to “telling where the leprechaun hides its gold.” Get front-row seats to this iconic holiday tradition while taking in incredible views of the city’s architecture. Sit back and relax to traditional Irish tunes while cruising along the St. Patrick’s Day River Dyeing Cruise.
Chicago Actually Has 3 St. Patrick’s Day Parades
Ud over paraden i centrum af byen er Chicago også vært for South Side Irish Parade og Northwest Side Irish Parade.
South Side Irish Parade løber ned ad Western Avenue mellem 103rd og 115th Streets og skulle efter sigende være startet, da to naboer besluttede, at deres børn havde brug for noget at lave for at fejre Sankt Patrick's Day. Den første South Side Parade startede i 1981 og er stadig i høj grad en kvarterssag med irske stepdansere, bands og en paradedronning.
Northwest Side Irish Parade løber gennem Norwood Park-kvarteret ned ad Neola Avenue fra William J. Onahan School til Northwest Highway og derefter ned ad Harlem Avenue. Festlighederne omfatter lokal livemusik, lækker corned beef og kål og selvfølgelig grønt øl.
Chicago’s Famous Irish Pubs
Ligesom den irske befolkning er Chicago hjemsted for en stor koncentration af traditionelle irske pubber, hvoraf mange går næsten et århundrede tilbage eller mere.
Shinnick's Pub i South Side Bridgeport-kvarteret har eksisteret lige så længe som den første St. Patrick's Day-parade, nemlig fra begyndelsen af 1890'erne. Den fantastiske bar med mahogni-bagside stammer fra den oprindelige konstruktion og har set en masse fester i årenes løb.
Kelly's Pub har været en lokal favorit i Lincoln Park siden 1933, da den åbnede kort efter at forbuddet blev ophævet. Bankrøveren John Dillinger skulle efter sigende have drukket en øl på Kelly's Pub. Med sin originale bagbar og de originale kabinetter er det virkelig et skridt tilbage i tiden.
Mere irsk historie i Chicago
If you want to learn about Chicago’s Irish history and modern Ireland all year round, it’s always worth a visit to the Irish American Heritage Center (IAHC) whose “mission is to cultivate the cultural bonds of the Irish and Irish Americans to Ireland through gatherings and festivals and by promoting cultural programmings such as music and theater, literature, and language.”
Tjek begivenhederne for at se, hvordan Chicago fortsat er forbundet med Irland. De er også vært for deres egne St. Patrick's Day-aktiviteter med moderne irsk musik, traditionel dans, håndlavede gaver og optrædener fra Academy of Irish Music.
Original Post Date: March 16, 2022