Every year, the city of Chicago indulges in a little ritual to better celebrate the approaching St. Patrick’s Day! The river that runs through it (the Chicago River) is coloured green: the official color of the Irish festival!
A tradition that has endured since 1962, when the American river was first dyed green in honor of St. Patrick’s Day!
That’s why the city has just adorned the river with bright green, a true symbol of Ireland and its festivities! To achieve this, the river was dyed with a safe, ecological green dye. This will dissipate naturally after 5 hours.
It takes around 45 minutes for the water to reach full color.
The dyeing takes place every year between Columbus Drive and State Street. To achieve this, several boats spill an orange dye, which turns green as soon as it comes into contact with the water!
It was possible to see the boats at work on the Michigan Avenue Bridge and along the Riverwalk as early as 9:00 a.m. yesterday morning. A pretty festive show!
So why does the city of Chicago color the river a day in advance? Although St. Patrick’s Day is officially celebrated on March 17, Chicago, like many other American cities, has a tradition of celebrating the day before.
A fine demonstration of Chicago’s close ties with Ireland: the city’s population is largely made up of Irish immigrants.
As for the festivities themselves, Chicago is planning numerous concerts and street parades for March 17. It’s enough to make you feel Irish, even when you’re miles from home!
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