The Luck of the Ir... Hungarians!

Event: St Patrick's Day Parade

Place: Szabadság tér - Erzsébet tér, Budapest

Time: March 17, 2012 - 12.00 pm

The start at Szabadság tér

Let me present a taste of St Patrick's Day Parade in Budapest, for those who weren't as lucky to participate in the greenest event of the year. Seriously, even the traffic lights were green half of the time. :)


The celebration dates back to the 5th century, when St Patrick lived, and died on March 17 - hence the date. He is the patron saint of Ireland, so the day used to be a religious holiday. Nowadays, however, March 17 represents the day for praising the Irish culture worldwide, with the usage of traditional symbols such as the shamrock, or basically anything green.

So, the parade itself didn't start until the clock struck 2 pm, but the two hours from noon were spent gathering in the heart of Pest, at the Szabadság tér. It's a beautiful square covered in grass, where the people were just hanging out and chatting about the long weekend they were enjoying.

 

There were balloons in green (of course), orange and white, drinks, food, people wearing green T-shirts and facepaint, children dressed in cute little costumes, and so much more. At exactly 2 pm, a group of pipers started the Parade with the breathtaking sound of bagpipes. Yes, I absolutely love them.

This year was the second time the Parade was organised in Budapest, and, apparently, last year there were around 550 people there. I wonder how many joined this year, because it seemed so much more. From what I've experienced, most of them were foreigners, mainly Irish and British, judging by their immaculate accents.

Through the city

The parade went all around the centre of the city, as a giant green worm with the bagpipes in the front. Many people joined us on the streets, including some of the street performers, who made sure each part of the line could enjoy some of the most famous Irish tunes.

Akvárium's meadow

The end of the parade was at Akvárium, which I have already written about before, but not from this perspective. The interesting thing about this place is that it is situated in a hole in the ground, and surrounded by a nice meadow, where people usually sit around, hang out, and enjoy their drinks bought in a nearby shop, because this is the only area in the city where it's allowed to drink on the street.

The last part of the day was reserved for dancing with three performers of Irish music: Erin, Coincidance, and MÉZ együttes.

Irish dance at Akvárium

And here's one of the most famous traditional songs, covered by our very own Firkin:

Check out the gallery.