Cleveland’s St. Patrick's Day Parade
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Cleveland State University students hit the streets each year to experience Cleveland’s electrifying St. Patty’s Day parade.
Written by Ava Brennan
St. Patrick's Day has been celebrated since 1601– the first celebration being in the Spanish colony of Augustine, Florida. To some Christians, it’s a day to celebrate the patron saint of Ireland, who is known for having converted the pagan country to Christianity. To the general public, it is a day to celebrate Irish heritage through traditional food, drink and festivities. This year, Cleveland State University students eagerly anticipate the 184th annual St. Patrick's Day Parade in the heart of downtown Cleveland.
Cleveland’s St. Patrick's Day Parade has been a tradition for many Clevelanders, both those of Irish heritage and not. Since 1958, the parade has been managed by The United Irish Societies of Greater Cleveland, an organization consisting of 23 different Irish organizations, whose primary focus is on organizing and running the annual parade. Prior to 1958, various other groups had hosted the holiday parade since 1842.
Whether CSU students celebrate the holiday with religious intent or not, they have been attending the parade for decades. Some professors have been known to cancel classes on St. Patrick's Day in order to allow students to participate in the celebrations, as the parade often starts in the early afternoon.
Chloe Haase, a sophomore criminal justice major, has been attending the Cleveland St. Patrick's Day Parade for most of her life.
“I’ve been going to the parade since I was three or four, I think.” Haase said.
Haase celebrates the parade each year with her family, and has the opportunity to catch up with loved ones she doesn’t see often.
“I love how people get really into the parade. It’s very festive,” Haase said.
Some of Haase’s extended family has origins in Ireland, so she enjoys being able to celebrate her loved ones culture of origin here in the U.S through the festivities of the parade. Haase also is grateful for the community in Cleveland’s dedication to the celebrations.
“I think Cleveland is really big for celebrating St. Patrick's day because a lot of Irish Americans live here. I feel like we celebrate here in Cleveland almost as if we were in Ireland,” she said.
Each year, Haase looks forward to seeing the Irish Wolfhounds proudly “marching” as well as the occasional horse or miniature horses pulling carriages down Euclid Ave.
As the holiday is celebrated mainly in the U.S. and Europe, some international students have experienced their first St. Patrick’s Day during their time at Cleveland State.
Jennifer Osmond, a sophomore civil engineering student, celebrated her first St. Patrick's Day last year. Osmond is an international student from Zambia, where St. Patrick's Day is not a public holiday.
“I never celebrated the holiday before. It was just something you would see on T.V., like in cartoons and on the news.” Osmond said.
She attended last year's St. Patrick's Day Parade with her friends. Osmond shared that celebrating the holiday through the parade was an incredible experience.
“I loved seeing the traditional Irish attire in the parade. It was so colorful. It was cool to see all different schools participating in the parade. Back home, we don’t really have parades so it was all just cool to see.” she explained.
Osmond enjoyed seeing so many Clevelanders celebrating and experiencing traditional Irish culture and other communities and clubs represented in the parade. She said she is looking forward to the parade this year.
“Even though a lot of people attending probably weren't from Ireland, I loved seeing the support of the culture, and I think that’s the type of community that Cleveland shows.” Osmond said.
A diverse selection of organizations march in the parade each year, from unicycling clubs to high school marching bands. Each year the parade creates a new experience, prompting excitement in the parade’s watchers. The St. Patrick’s Day parade will take place this year on March 17th at 1:04 p.m. on E. 18th St. and Superior Ave.
For more information visit: http://www.stpatricksdaycleveland.com/