Chicago River turns emerald green for St. Patrick’s Day celebration
March 17 is celebrated worldwide as St. Patrick's Day. This tradition, which originated in Ireland, has gained popularity worldwide. It is celebrated especially spectacularly in Chicago, where the river is turned green. This year, crowds of onlookers gathered to witness the transformation.
St. Patrick's Day is a national and religious holiday in Ireland, where St. Patrick is the country's patron saint. Residents of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada, and Montserrat typically take the day off work.
St. Patrick's Day in Ireland
On this occasion, the Irish typically dress in green, drink green beer, and enjoy green foods. The color green is not only the national color of Ireland but also symbolizes the famous three-leaf shamrock associated with St. Patrick.
Celebrating St. Patrick's Day is not just about green attire and drinks. Numerous events are organized annually, including festivals, parades, and Irish dance performances that draw large crowds.
They dye the river green
In many cities worldwide, buildings and monuments are illuminated in green on March 17. The American city of Chicago has taken this a step further for 63 years by dyeing its river green.
On Monday, March 17, at 10 AM EST, members of the Chicago Journeymen Plumbers Local 130 took to the waterway, pumping gallons of a special dye into the river, temporarily transforming it into a vibrant, emerald-green, swirling river.
The tradition of dyeing the river green began accidentally. In 1961, the Chicago Journeymen Plumbers Local 130 used a special oil-based fluorescent dye in the river to detect leaks and other irregularities, such as illegal chemical pollution. The head of the plumbers' union, Stephen Bailey, noticed a worker's overalls were stained green from the dye. Since then, turning the Chicago River green on St. Patrick's Day has become an annual event.
Significantly, the Chicago plumbers stopped using fluorescein in 1966 and switched to a vegetable-based powder. The powder's effects last only two days, and its low concentration and rapid absorption make it non-toxic.
