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St. Patrick’s day, it’s the day everyone in the world is Irish, and it’s the most celebrated national holiday in the world. There are celebrations taking place from Russia to Argentina to South Korea and every place in between. So where should you go to celebrate the wearing of the green?

A good place to start looking is in the US, where the holiday was more or less invented. In Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day was a religious holiday that was celebrated quietly at church. But as more and more Irish moved to America, the feast day of the Patron Saint of Ireland gave them an opportunity to proudly display their heritage.

Boston
Boston claims to be the site of the nation’s first parade, in 1737; though New Yorkers would probably dispute that. Regardless, Boston’s large Irish population earns it a spot on the list. There are several events taking place on the days leading up to the March 16 parade:

• The musical “A Little Bit of Ireland,” at the Robinson Theatre in nearby Waltham, runs from March 11-16.
• Van Morrison will hold a one-day only concert on March 14 at the Wang Theatre.
• On March 17, the Beachcomber in Quincy will celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with Irish music and step dancers from noon to 1 am.

Boston’s parade begins at 10 am March 16 at the Broadway ‘T’ Station and ends at Andrew Square, South Boston, the city’s most Irish neighborhood. The parade features marching bands from all over the country, but a particular favorite is the Boston Police Gaelic Column of Pipes and Drums. After the big event, consider a pub crawl through the city’s best Irish bars.

Chicago
Chicago’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade will be held on March 16 at noon. But the day’s festivities begin at 10:45 am when the Chicago River is dyed green. The 43-year tradition was the brainchild of Stephen Bailey, business manager of the Chicago Journeymen Plumbers Local Union #110, who discovered that dye used to detect leaks from the city’s sewer lines into the River. The union has been dyeing the river green ever since.

Chicago’s St. Paddy’s Day celebrations aren’t confined to the parade–and the traditional post-Parade pub crawl. There are a whole weekend’s worth of Irish-themed events to attend:

• A good place to start celebrating St. Paddy’s Day in Chicago is at the Navy Pier where “A Weekend of Traditional Irish/Celtic Music” kicks off on March 15 at 11:30 am. The three-day event features a variety of Irish and Celtic music The Stockyard Kilty Band Bagpipers, Chicago’s own Gan Bua and The Sprigs, among others.
• The Irish American Heritage Center also hosts a three-day celebration that begins on Friday, March 14 with performances by four Irish dance troupes. The revelries continue on Saturday with music from the Shannon Rovers, Tim O’Shea and Jonathan Roche, The Dooley Brothers and others.
• How about a show? The Dirty Water St. Patrick’s Day Spectacular is set in a South Boston bar and features improvisational sketches fueled by audience suggestions on March 15 at 8 pm.
• Take an Irish cruise through the city on March 15. Four hour-long narrated cruises are available starting at 10 am, with the last boat leaving at 3 pm.

New York
The nation’s largest St. Patrick’s Day parade is held in New York and is watched by more 2 million spectators. New York’s parade tradition began in 1762 when Irish soldiers in the British army marched through the city. Military units continued to march each year until after the War of 1812 when local Irish fraternal and beneficial societies began sponsoring it. By 1851, the groups had banded together, nominating a Grand Marshall and increasing the size of the parade. This was when the Irish 69th Regiment (now the 165th Infantry) became the lead marchers and the Ancient Order of Hibernians became the official sponsor. The order continues as the parade’s sponsor today. This year’s parade will be held Monday, March 17 at 11 am.

But New York has more to offer on St. Patrick’s Day than a parade and a pub crawl:

• How about a trip to Carnegie Hall to catch the Chieftains in concert?
• The Pogues, meanwhile, will be playing at Roseland March 15-17.
• Celtic Women will play Radio City March 15 and 16.
• Learn about New York’s Irish immigrants with Big Onion Walking Tours’ Irish New York. The tour takes you through the former “Little Ireland” neighborhood on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.

Dublin
In Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day was considered a religious holiday and Dubliners didn’t begin parading until the 1930s. It wasn’t until the 1990s that the city of Dublin realized it could use St. Patrick’s Day as a vehicle to attract tourists. This year the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Dublin is part of a five-day festival that kicks off on March 13. Concerts, theater, street fairs and a treasure hunt will usher in the March 17 parade.

• March 13: Christ Church Cathedral Choir Concert will feature works by Bach and Mozart.
• March 13-17: Gaelspraoi at the Dublin City Centre presents workshops, tours, gigs, and films to promote the use of the Irish language.
• March 15: Denny Treasure Hunt will send you to Dublin’s hidden haunts to find the booty and win the prize.
• March 17: Singer Mary Black will perform at the National Concert Hall.

Other cities that have long St. Patrick’s Day traditions include:

• Montreal: Believe it or not, French-speaking Montreal has been celebrating St. Patrick’s Day since 1759.
• New London, Wisconsin: The city changes its name to New Dublin every year in honor of St. Patrick’s Day. The celebrations begin on March 10 and end on March 15 with a parade and IrishFest.
• Savannah, Georgia: This city in the heart of the south will hold its 184th consecutive St. Patrick’s Day on March 14.

If you can’t travel to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, don’t despair. There’s probably a celebration near you. Check out this list of St. Patrick’s Day parades and celebrations worldwide.

(Photo via flickr cc)

Tags: boston | Chicago | new york | parades | St. Patrick's Day