The Parade

Photo Gazette Archives Marching proudly up Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, as the Grand Marshal of a past parade, is former Congressmember Thomas Manton.

St. Patrick's Day is celebrated on March 17, the religious feast day and the anniversary of St. Patrick's death in the fifth century. The Irish have

observed this day as a religious holiday for over 1,500 years.

On St. Patrick's Day, which falls during the Christian season of Lent, Irish families traditionally attended church in the morning and celebrated in the afternoon. Lenten prohibitions against the consumption of meat were waived and people danced, drank, and feasted on the traditional meal of Irish bacon and cabbage.

The first St. Patrick's Day parade took place in the United States not in Ireland. Irish soldiers serving in the English military first marched through New York City on March 17, 1762. Along with their music, the parade helped the soldiers to reconnect with their Irish roots, as well as fellow Irishmen serving in the English army.

Irish patriotism among American immigrants flourished over the next thirty-five years, prompting the rise of Irish aid societies, like the Friendly Sons of Saint Patrick and the Hibernian Society. Each group would hold annual parades featuring drums and bagpipes, the latter of which first became popular in the Scottish and British armies.

The New York parade now in its 245th consecutive year will be led by the "Fighting 69th Infantry". The Parade will be reviewed from the steps of Saint Patrick's Cathedral by His Eminence Cardinal Edward Egan, Archbishop of New York. It will also be reviewed from the Official Reviewing Stand at 64th Street and 5th Avenue.