Every year on March 17^th, millions of Americans – those with and without Irish heritage – gather

to celebrate the feast day of the Patron Saint of Ireland, St. Patrick.  For many, that means wearing green,

drinking Irish stout, eating Irish Soda Bread and Corned Beef and Cabbage, and listening to traditional Irish

music all day long.  Most people even know a little about the legend of St. Patrick – mainly that he is credited

with driving all the snakes from Ireland (even though there is little evidence that there ever were snakes in

Ireland to begin with).  But there are some very interesting facts about St. Patrick’s Day that many people are

not aware of.

Did you know….

• St. Patrick’s Day is an Irish national holiday with banks, stores, and businesses closing for the day.

• The first St. Patrick’s Day celebration in the United States was held in Boston (1737).

• Shamrocks (not to be confused with four leaf clovers) are the national flower of Ireland. St. Patrick used the three leaves of the shamrock to teach the Irish people about the three parts of the Holy Trinity

• The official color of St. Patrick’s Day was originally blue. It was used by the Irish Citizen Army and is still seen in some ancient Irish flags. Green started being worn during the 1798 Irish Rebellion against British rule

• Chicago dyes its river green every March 17^th. 1962 marked the first time Chicago dyed their river green for St Patrick’s Day.

• There are 34.7 million U.S. residents with Irish ancestry. This number is more than seven times the population of Ireland itself.

• St. Patrick wasn’t even Irish. He was born in Britain around A.D. 390 to an aristocratic Christian family.

• The world’s shortest St. Patrick’s Day parade is held in an Irish village. It lasts only 100 yards, between the village’s two pubs.

There are so many ways to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day throughout Maryland in the coming weeks.   Here are some of our favorites!

Baltimore’s St. Patrick Parade – 2 PM, Sunday, March 10. Cost: Free

Truly the jewel in Maryland’s emerald crown. For more than 60 years, thousands of spectators from the region have crowded the streets and sidewalks of downtown Baltimore and the famous Inner Harbor to watch thousands more march and celebrate Irish culture, music, song, and dance.

More information:

http://irishparade.net/

Annapolis St. Patrick’s Parade –  1 PM, Sunday, March 10^th. Cost: Free

In seven years it has grown to be the largest parade in the city of Annapolis in terms of entrants and spectators.  Each year, the Annapolis St. Patrick’s Parade benefits local charities.  This year, Warrior Events will be an official beneficiary of the Annapolis St. Patrick’s Parade 2019! .

Route: West Gate Circle, Along West Street, down Main Street to City Dock

More information:

http://www.naptownevents.com/irish-week/

Westminster’s Celtic Canter 5k Race – 9 AM, Saturday, March 9^th. Cost: $32 (includes race shirt)

After the race enjoy a post-race party, awards ceremony and Irish celebration complete with pub crawl, live music, vendors, and activities for children.

To register for the race:

https://www.active.com/westminster-md/running/distance-running-races/celtic-canter-2019

Baltimore Shamrock Crawl –  1PM-9PM, Saturday, March 16th. Cost: $15 online, $40 day of

A signature Shamrock mug, amazing specials, cover-free access to some of Fells Point’s best bars, raffle entry for great prizes and free pictures of the event!

More information:

https://baltimoreshamrockcrawl.com/

Follow this link for even more ways to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day throughout Maryland!

https://www.visitmaryland.org/list/st-patricks-day-celebrations