Thursday, March 17, 2011

St.Patrick's Day Parade


Sunday marked the beginning of the St. Patrick's Day celebrations here in London. The week kicked off with a big parade that ended up in Trafalgar Square, where an Irish festival kept the party spirit alive all day long.


There was a little rain at the start of the day, but that did not dampen the spirits of the Irish people


who were eager to paint the city green.


Leprechauns


of all shapes


and sizes participated.


About 900,000 citizens of London are Irish, making up about 12 % of their population.


They are very proud of their heritage


and St. Patrick himself oversaw the parade with 32 Irish counties represented.


Among the 90 entries were the Mahogany Carnival Group,



and Irish dancers


of all ages.


Here's a quick video with a few of the bands just to give you the flavor of the day.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!



19 comments:

  1. WOW! Look at those costumes, decorations and floats. Too cool! I bet it was really neat to be there. Glad ya'll went out and celebrated up in Irish style :)

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  2. Great pictures!!

    I like the ladies with the green skirts. ;-)

    Greetings from Germany

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  3. Wow, now that looks like alot of fun!! Glad you enjoyed it! xxoo :)

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  4. I've never been in London on St. Patrick's Day, Debi, so I had no idea it was such a big celebration. Amazing! Not sure where you are right now but have a wonderful weekend. – g

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  5. What a fabulous celebration!! Those Londoners know how to do it right, don't they?? Bet you had a terrific time!!!

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  6. Wow, that was some parade! I didn't do anything for St Paddy's day this year. I don't even recall hearing about a parade or anything. I think we need to lift our Irish spirits here in Oz!

    Take care and best wishes for a beautiful week.
    Natasha.

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  7. Love the costumes. I guess that St. Patrick's Day must be one of the most celebrated days.
    So many people enjoy the festivities.

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  8. As usual with me, living in London doesn't mean that I actually get to see everything that's happening... I was so busy with other things that this one went completely unnoticed by myself - oops... Thank you for all your lovely comments, have a great week ahead xo

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  9. What great shots, Debi. You are certainly the woman on scene in reporting the whole shebang in vivid images and details. What fun.

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  10. What a fun day and I love those Leprechauns!

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  11. So much green. Nicem post. Love the chubby leprechauns.

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  12. BONJOUR ET BONNE FÊTE!!!

    Thank you dearest for your visit and kind words! How lovely to be in such a historical and richly populated place such as London! I loved it when I lived in Boston, Mass. because St.Patrick's day was SOOOOO LIVELY THERE, having a huge Irish population!

    Have a marvelous day, Anita

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  13. You always have such fun posts... of course it helps that I'm absolutely in love with London!!!!

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  14. What an experience!! I've never been to a St. Patty's Day Parade, but I see now that I'm definitely missing out!

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  15. Wow honey they really do celebrate their heritage don't they. I think it is really wonderful that they do and what great photo's you captured for us to enjoy.
    Well when I write you I am wondering if your close by or far away in England. lol
    Enjoy your weekend where ever you are my sweet friend
    Love
    Maggie

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  16. Oh Debi, I am so sorry to hear of your loss, a disconnect from what we know the most....but yes, we all shall be free as a bird, and I send you my condolences and heartfelt friendship. It is never easy to deal with that stage of life...thank you for coming over. Anita

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  17. They certainly look like they are having fun :-) .. the celebrations for St Patricks day are bigger than those for St Georges day .. (which are so few). My mum and step-father celebrate at St Patricks dances ..

    Yep Easyliving is a great magazine .. hope you pick up a copy soon.. Oh yeah next month is a free bag , looks quite good .:-) xox

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  18. Oh what fun! We are a short train ride from town, and usually I am happy about it, but there days when I wish I could just step out my door and stumble across a lovely parade just like this :-)

    So glad you stopped by my blog. I'm always happy to meet a fellow expat Texan!

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  19. The St. Patrick's Day parade is a jubilant spectacle of Irish culture and camaraderie. Amidst a sea of green, the rhythmic tunes, vibrant floats, and spirited crowd create an electric atmosphere. Role Of VPNs It's a celebration that transcends borders, uniting people in the joyous embrace of Irish heritage and festive revelry.

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