If the weather was rather gray on Sunday afternoon in Montreal, it was green that was in the spotlight in the city center, as thousands of people gathered along Boulevard de Maisonneuve to attend the traditional parade of the Saint Patrick.
It was 199e St. Patrick’s Day parade in Montreal. The first edition took place in 1824, making it the oldest of its kind in Canada, according to its organizers.
In total, just under 100 groups and more than 2,500 participants took part in the event orchestrated by the United Irish Societies of Montreal.
“Everyone is here for the same reason: it’s a big party, it’s very nice to see everyone, happy faces,” underlined Phil Hayden when The Canadian Press met him on the course of the parade.
Mr. Hayden’s ancestors are from Ireland, which is why he and his relatives decided to participate in the parade. But the Tremblant resident noted that St. Patrick’s Day casts a much wider net.
“It’s a gathering open to everyone, regardless of their religion, their color, their social or political beliefs,” he said.
Same story with François Terrault. While he wanted to be there to honor his grandmother’s Irish heritage, he also wanted to enjoy a beautiful day.
“The good-natured, family atmosphere… Three-quarters of the parade is before it starts, seeing the children happy. We can’t come here if we don’t have our child’s heart, and that’s what I love,” he said.
Alex Forrest, meanwhile, attended the event with his two children and granddaughter, who have Irish ancestry on their mother’s side. This year, they returned to the family tradition.
“We haven’t come since the pandemic, but we are happy to come back. We’re having a lot of fun today,” said Mr. Forrest.
“Everyone is looking forward to coming, whether you’re Irish or not. It’s a celebration, because it’s part of Quebec. It’s that simple. »
The parade started at the intersection of Rue du Fort and culminated at Place des Festivals.
Other parades took place on Sunday elsewhere in the country, including in Toronto, where the parade took place in the snow.
David O’Keefe and his 1-year-old son Noah were among the marchers.
“ [La Saint-Patrick] is the biggest day of the year. As an Irish person living abroad, it is very special for me to march in the streets of Toronto. It’s also great for children,” he said.
Although St. Patrick’s Day is officially celebrated on March 17, some of the main festive events took place on Saturday, especially in the United States.
This was the case in New York, where the march through Manhattan dates back to 1762 and is one of the largest Irish heritage festivities in the world.
In Canada, residents of Newfoundland and Labrador will mark the occasion on Monday with a statutory holiday.
With information from Alex Nino Gheciu in Toronto