New York City’s first St Patrick’s Day Parade was organized in 1762 by a band of homesick Irish ex-patriots and Irish soldiers in a military unit, recruited by the British, to serve in the American colonies. They decided to march through the streets of New York City playing their music and reconnecting with their fellow Irish immigrants. In those days they could wear the green bringing back their Irish pride, which had been banned in their homeland. Being in America they had the freedom to speak their Irish language and sing their Irish songs.
The original parade took place fourteen years before the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. The parade was held on 17 March in honor or memory of the patron saint of Ireland, St Patrick. The parade was to commemorate the anniversary of the death of St Patrick in the fifth century. This began the tradition of St Patrick’s Day Parade.
For the first few years the parade was organized by military units. Slowly Irish fraternal and beneficial societies took over organizing the parade in their separate districts. After the 1850’s the individual societies merged under one Grand Marshall. Today the parade is run by members of a separate corporation, St Patrick’s Day Parade Inc.
The parade today, as when it first started, is escorted by a unit of soldiers. Today the “Irish Infantry” National Guard 69th Regiment leads the parade, followed by Irish societies of the city, county Irish societies, schools and many other Irish organizations. The music is provided by drums and bagpipes. It has become the biggest parade in New York City.
This is the day that almost everyone becomes Irish. The color green is everywhere. People wear green clothes, paint their faces green, wear green nail polish and other green accessories. In some cases the rivers are dyed green for the day.
With all the pageantry and partying there is one thing that has not changed the parade. As when it began, it still is consisted of only walking members. There are not any floats of any kind, just the walking Irish taking their day in history, even if there are 1500,000 or more in the parade. It is also one for New York City, the oldest walking parade in history.
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