St. Patrick’s Day celebrations across the country are back after a two-year hiatus, including the nation’s largest in New York City, in a sign of growing hope that the worst of the coronavirus pandemic may be over.
Virus_Outbreak_St_Patricks_Day_15184 A parade goer yells during the St. Patrick's Day Parade along South Columbus Drive, Saturday, March 12, 2022, in Chicago. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune via AP)
John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune via AP
St_Patricks_Day_Parade_Chicago_38147 Mayor Lori Lightfoot marches in a kilt for the St. Patrick's Day Parade along South Columbus Drive Saturday, March 12, 2022, in Chicago. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune via AP)
John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune via AP
St_Patrick's_Day_Parade_New_York_74067 People enjoy drinks in a local Irish pub during St. Patrick's Day, Thursday, March 17, 2022, in New York. St. Patrick's Day celebrations across the country are back after a two-year hiatus, including the nation's largest in New York City, in a sign of growing hope that the worst of the coronavirus pandemic may be over. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)
AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez
St_Patrick's-Day_Parade_New_York_57394 New York Fire Department Officers march up Fifth Avenue during the St. Patrick's Day Parade, Thursday, March 17, 2022, in New York. St. Patrick’s Day celebrations across the country are back after a two-year hiatus. That includes New York City's parade Thursday, the nation's largest and oldest. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)
AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez
St_Patrick's-Day_Parade_New_York_92593 People watch the St. Patrick's Day Parade at Fifth Avenue, Thursday, March 17, 2022, in New York. St. Patrick’s Day celebrations across the country are back after a two-year hiatus. That includes New York City's parade Thursday, the nation's largest and oldest. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)
AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez
St_Patrick's-Day_Parade_New_York_26808 Bagpipers march up Fifth Avenue during the St. Patrick's Day Parade, Thursday, March 17, 2022, in New York. St. Patrick’s Day celebrations across the country are back after a two-year hiatus. That includes New York City's parade Thursday, the nation's largest and oldest.(AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)
AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez
St_Patrick's_Day_Parade_New_York_77504 Participants march up Fifth Avenue during the St. Patrick's Day Parade, Thursday, March 17, 2022, in New York. St. Patrick’s Day celebrations across the country are back after a two-year hiatus. That includes New York City's parade Thursday, the nation's largest and oldest(AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)
AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez
APTOPIX_St_Patrick's_Day_Parade_New_York_72431 New York Fire Department Officers march up Fifth Avenue while they pass in front of St. Patrick Cathedral during the St. Patrick's Day Parade, Thursday, March 17, 2022, in New York. St. Patrick’s Day celebrations across the country are back after a two-year hiatus. That includes New York City's parade Thursday, the nation's largest and oldest (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)
AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez
APTOPIX_St_Patrick's_Day_Parade_New_York_82867 Bagpipers march up Fifth Avenue while they pass in front of St. Patrick Cathedral during the St. Patrick's Day Parade, Thursday, March 17, 2022, in New York. St. Patrick’s Day celebrations across the country are back after a two-year hiatus. That includes New York City's parade, the nation's largest and oldest. It's a sign of growing hope that the worst of the coronavirus pandemic may be over. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)
AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez
St_Patrick's_Day_Parade_New_York_53634 People watch the St. Patrick's Day Parade, Thursday, March 17, 2022, in New York. St. Patrick's Day celebrations across the country are back after a two-year hiatus, including the nation's largest in New York City, in a sign of growing hope that the worst of the coronavirus pandemic may be over. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)
AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez
St_Patrick's_Day_Parade_New_York_45057 New York Mayor Eric Adams, center, marches up Fifth Avenue during the St. Patrick's Day Parade, Thursday, March 17, 2022, in New York. St. Patrick’s Day celebrations across the country are back after a two-year hiatus, including the nation’s largest in New York City, in a sign of growing hope that the worst of the coronavirus pandemic may be over. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)
AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez
St_Patrick's_day_parade_New_York_36470 New York Mayor Eric Adams, center smiles as he marches up Fifth Avenue during the St. Patrick's Day Parade, Thursday, March 17, 2022, in New York. St. Patrick's Day parades across the nation, including the largest in New York City, resume after a pandemic-driven hiatus. Back in 2020, the parades were among the first major events to get cancelled in the U.S. in what quickly became a cascade of shutdowns. This year, New York's parade coincides with the city's reopening, with mask and vaccination rules recently lifted. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)
AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez
St_Patrick's_Day_Parade_New_York_51764 New York Fire Department Officers march up Fifth Avenue while they pass in front of St. Patrick Cathedral during the St. Patrick's Day Parade, Thursday, March 17, 2022, in New York. St. Patrick’s Day celebrations across the country are back after a two-year hiatus. That includes New York City's parade, the nation's largest and oldest. It's a sign of growing hope that the worst of the coronavirus pandemic may be over. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)
AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez
St_Patrick's_Day_Parade_New_York_75491 New York Police Department officers march up Fifth Avenue while they pass in front of St. Patrick Cathedral during the St. Patrick's Day Parade, Thursday, March 17, 2022, in New York. St. Patrick’s Day celebrations across the country are back after a two-year hiatus. That includes New York City's parade, the nation's largest and oldest. It's a sign of growing hope that the worst of the coronavirus pandemic may be over. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)
AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez
St_Patrick's_Day_Parade_New_York_70923 A man holds a poster as he greets participants during the St. Patrick's Day Parade at Fifth Avenue, Thursday, March 17, 2022, in New York. St. Patrick's Day celebrations across the country are back after a two-year hiatus, including the nation's largest in New York City, in a sign of growing hope that the worst of the coronavirus pandemic may be over. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)
AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez
St_Patrick's_Day_Parade_New_York_18004 People watch the St. Patrick's Day Parade on Fifth Avenue, Thursday, March 17, 2022, in New York. St. Patrick's Day celebrations across the country are back after a two-year hiatus, including the nation's largest in New York City, in a sign of growing hope that the worst of the coronavirus pandemic may be over. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)
AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez
St_Patrick's_day_parade_New_York_37708 People watch the St. Patrick's Day Parade on Fifth Avenue, Thursday, March 17, 2022, in New York. St. Patrick's Day celebrations across the country are back after a two-year hiatus, including the nation's largest in New York City, in a sign of growing hope that the worst of the coronavirus pandemic may be over. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)
AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez
APTOPIX_St_Patrick's_Day_Parade_New_York_29748 A bagpiper pays respect during a moment of silence outside St Patrick's Cathedral to "mark the 20th anniversary of 9/11 and the victims of the pandemic." during the St. Patrick's Day Parade, Thursday, March 17, 2022, in New York. St. Patrick's Day celebrations across the country are back after a two-year hiatus, including the nation's largest in New York City, in a sign of growing hope that the worst of the coronavirus pandemic may be over. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)
AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez
St_Patrick's_Day_Parade_New_York_21408 Bagpipers pay respect during a moment of silence outside St. Patrick's Cathedral to "mark the 20th anniversary of 9/11 and the victims of the pandemic," during the St. Patrick's Day Parade on Fifth Avenue, Thursday, March 17, 2022, in New York. St. Patrick's Day celebrations across the country are back after a two-year hiatus, including the nation's largest in New York City, in a sign of growing hope that the worst of the coronavirus pandemic may be over. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)
AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez
St_Patrick's_Day_Parade_New_York_55082 Bagpipers pay respect during a moment of silence outside St Patrick's Cathedral to "Mark the 20th anniversary of 9/11 and the victims of the pandemic." during the St. Patrick's Day Parade, Thursday, March 17, 2022, in New York. St. Patrick's Day celebrations across the country are back after a two-year hiatus, including the nation's largest in New York City, in a sign of growing hope that the worst of the coronavirus pandemic may be over. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)
AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez
St_Patrick's_Day_Parade_New_York_83475 New York Fire Department Officers pay respect during a moment of silence outside St Patrick's Cathedral to "Mark the 20th anniversary of 9/11 and the victims of the pandemic." during the St. Patrick's Day Parade at Fifth Avenue, Thursday, March 17, 2022, in New York. St. Patrick's Day celebrations across the country are back after a two-year hiatus, including the nation's largest in New York City, in a sign of growing hope that the worst of the coronavirus pandemic may be over. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)
AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez
St_Patrick's_Day_Parade_New_York_81909 People wait at Fifth Avenue the start of the St. Patrick's Day Parade, Thursday, March 17, 2022, in New York. St. Patrick’s Day celebrations across the country are back after a two-year hiatus, including the nation’s largest in New York City, in a sign of growing hope that the worst of the coronavirus pandemic may be over. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)
AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez
St_Patrick's_Day_Parade_Savannah_57009 A young boy gets a high-five from law enforcement officer marching with the Police Emerald Society of Southeast Georgia during the St. Patrick's Day parade, Thursday, March 17, 2022, Savannah, Ga. After nearly two centuries, the Irish holiday has become Savannah's most profitable tourist draw and street party for hundreds of thousands of locals and visitors. (AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton)
AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton
St_Patrick's_Day_Parade_New_York_65492 Military members march to their position before marching up Fifth Avenue during the St. Patrick's Day Parade, Thursday, March 17, 2022, in New York. St. Patrick’s Day celebrations across the country are back after a two-year hiatus, including the nation’s largest in New York City, in a sign of growing hope that the worst of the coronavirus pandemic may be over. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)
AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez
St_Patrick's_Day_Georgia_08053 Maxine Calloway, center, of Cornelia Ga., her friends, Missy Jarrott, right, of Savannah, Ga., and Carolyn Duncan, left, of Bremen, Ga., toast to their 52 year friendship before the start of the St. Patrick's Day parade, Thursday, March 17, 2022, at The Original Pinkie Masters bar in historic downtown Savannah, Ga. The South's largest St. Patrick's Day celebration made a big comeback following a two-year virus hiatus. (AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton)
AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton
St_Patrick's_Day_Parade_New_York_49407 Bagpipers warm up near Fifth Avenue during the St. Patrick's Day Parade, Thursday, March 17, 2022, in New York. St. Patrick’s Day celebrations across the country are back after a two-year hiatus, including the nation’s largest in New York City, in a sign of growing hope that the worst of the coronavirus pandemic may be over.(AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)
AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez
St_Patricks_Savannah_87627 Owens Rushing of Savannah, Ga., rides in a cart with his family clan during the St. Patrick's Day parade, Thursday, March 17, 2022, in Savannah, Ga. The South's largest St. Patrick's Day celebration made a big comeback following a two-year virus hiatus. (AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton)
NEW YORK (AP) — St. Patrick’s Day celebrations across the country are back after a two-year hiatus, including the nation’s largest in New York City, in a sign of growing hope that the worst of the coronavirus pandemic may be over.
The holiday served as a key marker in the outbreak’s progression, with parades celebrating Irish heritage among the first big public events to be called off in 2020. An ominous acceleration in infections quickly cascaded into broad shutdowns.
The full-fledged return of New York’s parade on Thursday coincided with the city’s wider reopening. Major mask and vaccination rules were recently lifted.
The city’s famed Fifth Avenue was awash with green, as hordes of revelers took to sidewalks amid damp skies to take part in the tradition for the first time in two years.
Kathy Brucia, 65, who is Irish and was clad in green, including a shamrock on her cheek, has been attending the parade for more than three decades — except the past two years.
“The pandemic,” she said as the first marching band passed by Thursday morning. “I don’t think it’s over. But I think a lot of people feel like, wow, we could finally go to a parade and not worry. But I think everybody has to worry.”
The day held great importance for a city still reeling from the outbreak.
“Psychologically, it means a lot,” said Sean Lane, the chair of the parade’s organizing group. “New York really needs this.”
Mike Carty, the Ireland-born owner of Rosie O’Grady’s, a restaurant and pub in the Theater District, agreed.
“This is the best thing that happened to us in two years,” he said. “We need the business, and this really kicked it off.”
The South’s largest St. Patrick’s Day celebration made a big comeback in Savannah, Georgia, where Irish immigrants and their descendants have held parades since 1824. After nearly two centuries, the holiday has become Savannah’s most profitable tourist draw, a street party for hundreds of thousands still thirsty after Mardi Gras.
Tori Purvis, 46, arrived before dawn to claim a spot near the start of the parade along with her 3-year-old son, Tristan, still wearing his pajamas decorated with leprechaun hats and rainbows. Purvis said she’s been celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in Savannah since childhood, and the only years she recalls not showing up were 2020 and 2021 when the pandemic forced the parade to be canceled.
“I’m not against masks or anything, but it’s nice to see people outside without masks and enjoying their time,” Purvis said. “It’s like a little bit of normalcy is coming back.”
Over the weekend, Chicago dyed its river green, after doing so without much fanfare last year and skipping the tradition altogether during the initial virus onslaught.
Boston, home to one of the country’s largest Irish enclaves, resumes its annual parade Sunday after a two-year absence.
Some communities in Florida, one of the first states to reopen its economy, were also bringing their parades back. The state chose St. Patrick’s Day two years ago to shutter restaurants, bars and nightclubs — a dramatic move by the Republican and which underscored the fear and uncertainty of the time.
New York’s parade — the largest and oldest of them all, first held in 1762 — runs 35 blocks along Fifth Avenue, past St. Patrick’s Cathedral and along Central Park.
It’s being held as the city emerges from a discouraging bout with the highly contagious omicron variant, which killed more than 4,000 people in New York City in January and February.
New infections and hospitalizations have declined since the surge, prompting city officials to green-light the procession.
On Thursday, Mayor Eric Adams began his pub crawl early, raising a pint of Guinness while visiting one of his city’s Irish establishments.
He likened the pandemic to the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.
“COVID is not terrorism, but it brought terror,” the mayor told radio station WAXQ-FM. “And now we’re at the 9/12 moment when we march down in the St. Patrick’s Day parade. We’re getting up and we’re saying New York is stronger, better and we’re ready to get back to our city being open.”
To keep the tradition going, organizers in 2020 and 2021 quietly held small parades on St. Patrick’s Day, right around sunrise, when the streets were empty.
Thousands of people showed up for this year’s parade, even as many New Yorkers remain skittish about massive, potentially virus-spreading public events.
The holiday commemorates the death of the patron saint of Ireland more than 15 centuries ago but has evolved into a money-making observance of Irish culture for restaurants and pubs.
But there was solemnity, too. Thursday’s procession paused to remember the fallen — including those who perished during the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, first responders killed in the line of duty and the thousands of pandemic casualties.
The Bishop Edmund Whalen, speaking outside St. Patrick’s Cathedral, expressed kinship with the people of Ukraine.
“We Irish know all too well the injustice of domination and oppression from those who sought to impose their rule over us,” he said. “And so we pray for the people of Ukraine who suffer this day from the injustice of war.”
______
Associated Press writer Russ Bynum contributed from Savannah, Georgia.
