by Bert Brantley
Let me dispel a rumor.
No, we don’t dye the Savannah River green for St. Patrick’s Day. No matter how many times you ask and insist you’ve seen pictures, there’s not enough dye in North America to turn our river green. And it would all just wash out either upstream or downstream as soon as you dump it in.
And while that’s the biggest misconception people have about St. Patrick’s Day in Savannah, it’s certainly not the only one. So please allow me a few minutes today and you’ll be nearly an expert on the most important day on our calendar each year.
The first thing to know is that we’ve had more than 200 parades here, only missing a handful of years for wars and pandemics. Thankfully, there is a Savannah St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee that plans and executes the festivities. The rest of us can just show up and enjoy.
Picking the Grand Marshal is a really big deal, and this year’s honoree Marty Hogan is a successful business owner that brings a big smile and a bucket of fun to every event he attends. The Grand Marshal is selected by the committee, and members will tell you there’s a lot of politicking that goes into the process.
While most people just think of the parade on Mar. 17, there are a number of events around town surrounding the “Feast of St. Patrick.” A couple of weeks before the parade, the Grand Marshal is elected and his Public Investiture takes place at The Cathedral Basilica of St. John The Baptist. This kicks off a sprint for the Grand Marshal and his Marshal’s Aides, as they make several appearances around town and provide a preview of what’s to come.
It’s not a completely green-dye-free celebration here. We do turn the fountains around Savannah green, starting with the gorgeous Forsyth Park fountain that has just been restored and is now a beautiful shade of Irish Kelly green.
And there are a couple of smaller parades that offer unique experiences – some sanctioned by the committee and others that aren’t. One that you won’t find on the committee’s official calendar is the Slithering Lantern parade in the Starland District. For the past five years, this thriving, quirky neighborhood puts its own spin on the holiday, celebrating the legend that St. Patrick drove all the snakes out of Ireland.
Tybee Island also hosts an Irish Heritage Celebration, turning our quaint beach town green a couple of days before the big parade. On the day before the big event we honor our current and former military service members at the Sgt. William Jasper Ceremony, always a solemn remembrance of lives lost defending our freedom, and those currently serving.
So all that brings us to March 17, and perhaps the biggest misunderstanding of all – that it’s a big, drunken party. In reality, this holiday is a serious recognition of the arrival of Christianity in Ireland. March 17 is the day Patricius (better known as St. Patrick, the Patron Saint of Ireland) died in the year 461 AD, after 20 years of his travels, establishing schools and churches across the country.
Over the past 1500+ years, St. Patrick’s Day has become a celebration of Ireland and Irish heritage, and especially here in Savannah where many families settled after leaving Ireland for the U.S. Many of our business and civic leaders can trace their Irish roots back for generations. We start the day off with a moving service at the Cathedral, reflecting on our shared history and reminding us all of common futures.
We can’t forget another unofficial tradition – the “Running of the Squares.” No one is allowed to set up tents or chairs along the parade route until 6 a.m., and many families have posted up in the same location for decades. So when the horn blows right at 6 a.m., there is a mad dash to claim the prime viewing spots, and with the precision of a NASCAR pit crew, tents and chairs are placed within just a matter of minutes.
The parade itself is very family-friendly, with marching bands, elected officials and the occasional celebrity showing up to participate in the 4+ hour tour around the city. Now, I will confess, parades tend to move pretty slowly, so consumption of certain types of beverages and fellowship with those around you are key to enjoying the day.
One final mistaken assumption – that we are sold out of hotel rooms. Especially this year, with the parade falling on a midweek Tuesday, there is still room for you to join the “millions” that descend on Savannah each March.
Yeah, “millions,” just like the green river.
