Every year, tens of thousands of pilgrims ascend the holy mountain Croagh Patrick, 765 meters above sea level. According to legend, it was on this mountain that St. Patrick performed one of his miracles - he commanded the snakes from all over the Irish land to gather at his feet and then banished them. Traditionally, parades are held on St. Patrick's Day. People dressed in extravagant costumes and pipe bands take to the streets of many cities. New Yorkers claim that the first parade took place in 1762, precisely in their city. At that time, Ireland was under English rule, and it is quite possible that the residents of the rebellious North American colonies thus expressed their solidarity with them. Since then, New York has hosted one of the most lavish celebrations on this day.
Currently, the festival parade of St. Patrick's Day is celebrated by hundreds of millions of people in all corners of the planet. On this day, the whole world - from Dublin to Sydney and from New York to Moscow and St. Petersburg - becomes Irish. On St. Patrick's Day in the USA, everything around turns green - even that which cannot turn green in principle. Bars serve green beer, stores sell green bagels, and Chicago goes even further by dyeing the river water green.
In Ireland itself, the St. Patrick's Day parade is held in more than 30 cities, including major parades in Cork, Galway, Limerick, and Dublin with its grand festivities. In Ireland, this holiday was long considered exclusively religious, and until the 1970s, Irish laws required all pubs to close on March 17. Now, festive processions take place on Dublin's main streets, and live music plays in pubs. City residents wear red wigs and green caps sold in stores, bring pots of shamrock (a four-leaf clover, one of the symbols of Ireland) and national flags. In the evening, fireworks and salutes are held. The holiday always takes place in unrestrained merriment.
• The capital also celebrates St. Patrick's Day noisily. After a cheerful parade through the city streets, its participants scatter to numerous beer restaurants. Unsurprisingly, almost all summer terraces of restaurants are packed to capacity on this day, and beer flows like a river until the next morning.
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