“Painting” Chicago Green For St. Patrick’s Day!
Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all!
Last Saturday, Chicago once again “painted” the Chicago River green and it’s a wild celebration that continues today!
St. Patricks’ Day is also a day of reflection and here’s why!
Of course, today is the day to drink green beer, eat corn beaf and cabbage, and celebrate the “Luck o’ The Irish!” And again, GREEN is the way to go!
But it’s much more. As History.com reports:
St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated annually on March 17, the anniversary of his death in the fifth century. The Irish have observed this day as a religious holiday for over 1,000 years. On St. Patrick’s Day, which falls during the Christian season of Lent, Irish families would traditionally attend church in the morning and celebrate in the afternoon. Lenten prohibitions against the consumption of meat were waived and people would dance, drink and feast–on the traditional meal of Irish bacon and cabbage.
That means only one thing in The Windy City:
Painting The Chicago River Green!
After a cancellation in 2020 due to the pandemic, this annual tradition came back – and is more colorful than ever!
It’s a St. Patrick’s Day tradition: the city of Chicago dyes their river green, as thousands of fans arrive to celebrate the big day!
Yes, you will see lots of green apparel as well as beverages as the town goes wild for the Irish!
The city of Chicago began the “painting” of the river green in 1962. Here’s how it looks up close:
As wikipedia reports, the inspiration for the stunt came from pollution-control workers, who used various chemical dyes to trace illegal sewage discharges. Yep, they got the idea while looking for “sewage discharge!”
That first year, the city dumped 100 pounds of dye into the river, which left it green for an entire week!
Officials say they now use less than 25 pounds of dye, and it’s vegetable-based, so safe to everything in the water!
Here is a look at more “painting” of the river:
After they spray the river, smaller boats stir it all in…the entire ceremony takes a half hour, then it’s on to the next celebration – a parade – followed by a day long celebration that lasts well into the night…
As you can see, the river continues to be a place for tour boats and kayakers, all sharing the now green water and the city celebrates the holiday!
If this makes you hungry – and it should – then here are some of the best pastrami sandwiches to make to celebrate!
Chicago has so many great traditions, and a rich history as well in fact, some of the history is embedded in one of their most iconic buildings!
Chicago’s iconic Tribune building is actually studded with pieces of history from around the world!
Click here for a close up look:
Of course, if you were in Chicago right now, all of this fun would make you hungry – well, I’ve got just the thing:
Yes, it’s a fried bologna sandwich – and it has been named the best sandwich in America several times!
Click here to see Au Cheval’s wildly popular and delicious Fried Bologna Sandwich – that I ate!
Here’s that story on my “all food all the time” blog “Bite! Eat! Repeat!”
If you fall in love with Chicago – and want to buy a place, why not make it Al Capone’s former house?
That’s right, the Mobster lived here and it was for sale a while back – click for details on the house – including the story behind the secret passage inside!
There are so many things to love about Chicago – like the incredible Lakeshore Drive along Lake Michigan:
I looked at the city through six of my favorite photos, which you can see by clicking here:
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Happy St. Patricks Day to everyone!
Categories: Art, chicago, Exotic Travel, Food, food blog, Memoirs, Pop Culture, Real Estate, Travel, Travel Adventures, Travel Memoir
johnrieber 
That green river must be a sight to behold!
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It truly is! And all safe for humans and fish too!
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Chicago really knows how to do st. Patrick’s day, no holding back here
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One of my favorite posts, John. I hope Chicago keeps their recipe a secret forever. It’s almost neon green. I am especially taken by the important artifacts embedded in the Chicago Tribune building. Why doesn’t every high school use this as a history lesson?
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The green river is way cool!
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iconic green water! happy st patrick’s day
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I remember you writing about this before. Very cool tradition!
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They certainly make a big effort to celebrate the day there. It is one day I have never celebrated. For one thing, it is the day after my birthday, and I also have no connections to Ireland or the Irish whatsoever.
Best wishes, Pete.
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