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St. Patrick’s Day vs. Halloween: a new rivalry?

You might have seen shamrocks popping up in store windows or plan to watch coverage of the Chicago St. Patrick’s Day Parade, when the Chicago River will be dyed green….

You might have seen shamrocks popping up in store windows or plan to watch coverage of the Chicago St. Patrick’s Day Parade, when the Chicago River will be dyed green. A Pinterest search reveals hundreds of leprechaun-themed crafts, shamrock décor and green food recipes. Although St. Patrick’s Day has been celebrated for centuries, the popularity of the holiday has steadily increased over the past several years and some analysts are saying the celebrations rival that of Halloween.

Marta Segal of the Huffington Post writes, “Like Halloween and Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day has its roots in religion, which gives it a nice historical basis, but is not as overtly religious and holy as Easter. This helps it fill a formerly empty marketing spot in the early spring.” (Read her whole article here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marta-segal-block/st-patricks-day-the-new-halloween_b_2829466.html)

Indianapolis is joining in the St. Patrick’s Day revelry with many events over the weekend. The city kicked off the holiday celebrations with the annual Greening of the Canal yesterday at the stardust terrace at the Indiana Historical Society. The 33rd Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade is today beginning at 11:30 a.m. The parade festival runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. You can find the parade route here: http://www.indysportsfoundation.com/stpatsnew/?page_id=166

Finally, on Saturday, one of Indy’s oldest traditions will take place downtown, the 22nd Annual Shamrock Run and Walk, followed by a new event, Blarney Bash, hosted by Georgia Street. It’s sure to be a fun weekend!

What do you think? Is St. Patrick’s Day beginning to rival Halloween? We’d love to hear your thoughts!