Origins of St. Patrick's Day

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The first Irish celebrations that took place in his honor on the date of his death were noisy affairs in Ireland! The Irish who immigrated to America took the celebration with them....they were not going to forget to remember their Saint Patrick in March! St. Patrick's Day has been celebrated in North America since 1737.

It all began when some of the Irish in Boston took to the streets to celebrate the formation of an Irish Charitable Society.... they can now lay claim to being the first parade! Today St. Patrick's Day boasts of the largest number of ethnic celebrations in North America! New Orleans remembers him with just 2 of the now 122 parades for Ireland's national hero.

The biggest parade, held in New York, originated in 1762 when a group of Irish-born militia on their way to a breakfast celebrating St. Patrick's Day staged an impromptu march through the streets of Colonial New York with their regimental band. They've been marching ever since!