'P' is for Patricios, part I

It is the rare year when the Saint Patrick's Parade is not the most attended event in Cleveland Ohio. There are many Irish in this section of Ohio, but not that many. It is an opportunity to be seen, and it has to be the largest parade in the state. 

This started out as a religious procession on the west side many years ago, and without much surviving documentation. Recently, it was re-discovered that it was years older in Cleveland than thought. This is not unusual, Catholics and their parishes have outdoor processions for Easter, for Corpus Christi, for their patron saints, for favorite saints...  Also, certain nationalities celebrated their national saints. So the origin story is easily discernible.

Over time, less processions continued publicly. Civic organisations also had processions. For many places across the country, Independence Day was the largest parade. After wars military parades happened. Some parades expanded their military and quasi-military police and safety forces participation.  Labor had parades, and often had to struggle against the police forces to have them. 

In Cleveland, all these came together. So, the Saint Patrick's Day Parade became part of the commonweal. Besides the Irish Catholic units, there are other Catholic units, other nationalities, other organisations, politicians, high school marching bands, businesses and other groups. There are units that have marched for an hundred years, or just many, and few. Some march on occasion, and some only once.

The best time for photography is before the parade starts. [supra] The mascot for the largest college football programme in the state poses with two Lithuanian girls. It is the first time the Lithuanians marched, they are celebrating their 100th year of statehood restoration.

 A Ukrainian dance troupe makes a return appearance.

The Chinese have made this an annual participation. They march to promote the Asian Festival and the Confucius Institute. The Dragon dance and the panda mascot is naturally popular. Why the one guy has a Kiss mask on, i dunno...perhaps, the parading has a masquerade flavour/

This float celebrates the Irish Americans: John L. Sullivan, the first gloved heavyweight boxing champion of the world, and Ed Sullivan the television presenter (and former boxing reporter, with a short temper). A kid "guarding" the float told me The Beatles were Irish. John, Paul, and George would not be surprising; they had Irish surnames, and Liverpool was a port of entry for the Irish across the Irish Sea; but Ringo (Richard) was Jewish.