March is a great time to be learning English in Boston or New York. Winter is over, spring is on the way and these two cities are preparing to hold St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.
Boston and New York have traditionally had a large Irish communities and this is reflected in the way both cities celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and all things Irish.
St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland and many Americans, with Irish ancestry, remember him on March 17. He’s the saint who is said to have converted the Irish to Christianity in around 600 AD.
There’s nothing quite like St. Patrick’s Day in New York and Boston and you don’t have to be Irish to celebrate. On this day, Irish pubs are packed full of people wearing green (the unofficial colour of Ireland) and drinking Guinness (the national beer). On the streets happy crowds line the streets to watch massive street parades and listen to Irish music.
In fact, America’s first St. Patrick’s Day parade was held in Boston in 1737 and New York followed in 1762. New York’s Fifth Avenue parade is thought to be the biggest in the world and the most famous in America.
Head to South Boston for the second largest parade in America, attended by almost one million people and shown live on TV.
The day is not a national holiday in the USA – schools, businesses and government offices are open as usual.
Students who learn English in New York or Boston should ask in school where the best place to watch the parade is.
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