In Syracuse, New York, St. Patrick’s Day is a holiday most people look forward to all year round. The St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Syracuse is always scheduled on the Saturday before the actual holiday, which lands on March 13th this year. Unfortunately, the St. Patrick’s Day Parade for 2021 has been canceled. This is the second year in a row that the city of Syracuse will go without its beloved Parade Day.
The St. Patrick’s Day Parade
Although the Coronavirus pandemic is inching slowly, but surely towards the end, it’s still not safe enough for large crowds – like the ones the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Downtown Syracuse usually draws – to gather. Despite the fact that we won’t be able to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in the normal way this year, there’s still a lot to cherish about one of the most fun Syracuse cultural events of every year.
History of St. Patrick’s Day
Our readers who are not of Irish descent may be wondering, why is St. Patrick’s Day celebrated? Saint Patrick lived during the Fifth Century and has been the Patron Saint of Ireland since with an unusual story. He was brought to Ireland as a Roman slave, and after being either released or escaping from slavery, St. Patrick chose to return to Ireland to convert the Druids there into Christians. A mission he was largely successful at accomplishing. The day itself is said to mark the death of St. Patrick and is celebrated in his honor.
The very first recorded St. Patrick’s Day celebration in America took place, not in Boston or New York City, but in St. Augustine, Florida in the year 1601. At the time, the Floridian city was a Spanish Colony and one of the priests who presided over the settlement, Padre Ricardo Artur, was actually of Irish descent. He’s the one who began the celebration, but it did not continue after his death, which is why we don’t typically think of Florida now when we think of St. Patrick’s Day.
The Irish in America
Between the years 1845 and 1850, nearly 500,000 Irish emigrated to the United States. This was, in large part, due to The Great Famine, in which a horrible fungus devastated the potato crops in Ireland. Thanks to inaction on the part of the British Government, nearly a million Irish died of starvation over the course of five years. The Irish immigrants who fled their homeland for America did so to escape the inevitable death that waited for them at home.
Irish Settlement in Syracuse
Most Irish immigrants entered the United States through Ellis Island, and those who found their way Upstate did so in search of work, which they found in Syracuse, New York. In the 1840s, the salt industry in Syracuse was booming. Thanks to the advancement of the Erie Canal as well, there was plenty of work in the area, and so plenty of Irish families settled down in our city. To this day, the Irish American population in Syracuse remains robust, with a sixth of the population here claiming to be of Irish origin.
Nancy Duffy and the St. Patrick’s Day Parade
Despite our regions very large, and very visible, Irish population, the first St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Syracuse didn’t happen until 1983. Nancy Duffy, a pioneering female reporter in Central New York led the charge on getting a parade up and running in Syracuse 38 years ago. It was originally run by a group of passionate volunteers, and remains that way to this day. Syracuse’s St. Patrick’s Parade has grown to be one of the largest parades, per capita, in the entire country. Something we can all be proud of.
Trapper’s St. Patrick’s Day Drinks
Syracuse is both the most Irish city in New York State and the snowiest city in America. What do these two facts have to do with each other? Well, when considered in the context of St. Patrick’s Day, they help to explain why Parade Day is such a big celebration year after year. Think about it, after our typical freezing cold, snow-filled Winter comes March, and with it a day of celebrating Irish culture in the form of green beer and music. By the time we get to mid-March, everyone is looking for something to do to drive off any lingering cabin fever.
Without the parade this year, our bartenders have taken it upon themselves to create a list of St. Patrick’s Day-themed drinks. A perfect way to celebrate a low-key version of everyone’s favorite holiday. Stop in all this week and ask the bartender for our list of nine different specialty cocktails all created in the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day tradition. From the Irish Margarita to the Pot of Gold Mimosa, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.
Christie Donato is the Marketing Manager for Trapper’s Pizza Pub and a freelance writer. She’s a co-founder of Rogue Dialogue Productions and a writer on the podcast Windfall. Originally from Syracuse, she now resides in Queens with her dog, Piper. You can find more of her work here.