March is exciting because it kicks off Spring. The earliest signs start to pop up. Birds slowly come back to greet your mornings. The weather starts to get warmer, and little by little, the season starts to bloom. More importantly, it's also the month of St. Patrick's Day!
Originally a holiday to honor the patron saint of Irleand on March 17, St. Patty's is now about celebrating good times for all. Parades, music, dancers, dressing silly and everything green is the key to a fun month. The Irish are known to be a friendly people and the holiday is a perfect example of that. Regardless, if you are actually a decendent of the Irish, everyone is welcome to celebrate the day. In fact, the more the merrier.
According to census data, New Jersey is made up of 11.9% Irish decendants. A Forbes report says that the state ranks 9th in the country with 1.1 million Irish-Americans. That's a lot of green.
One way NJ residents recognize the holiday is the month-long parades across the state. Belmar is always a big parade with the event usually early in the month. Coming up the weekend of the 9th include:
Morristown-9th
Asbury Park-10th
Bergen County (Bergenfield)-10th
Jersey City-10th
Somerville-10th
West Orange-10th
Rumson-10th
Later in the month, parades will include:
Newark-15th
Sea Isle City-16th
Bayonne-17th
Highlands-23rd
Keyport-23rd
The holiday wouldn't be complete without cornbeef and cabbage with a green beer or Guinness at a local Irish pub. Some favorites include:
Erin Go Bragh!