parade

St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Ireland

IMGP0795-51

March 17th in Ireland is a huge Day. It’s a day of National pride as not only is Saint Patrick the patron saint, it’s also an “unofficial” day to celebrate all things Irish. Everyone gets in on the act – from kids to adults, businesses and private homes alike. The day is one of great festivity.

IMGP0576-15

For my first St. Patrick’s Day, I decided that I had to go to one of the biggest celebrations – nearly half a million people turn up – and see the Parade in Downtown Dublin – with the city turning into a mass of people all dressed in green,orange, and white.

The Aftermath of 200,000 from the parade.. a flood of green

All my life I’d heard how crazy the party was and how great the Parade was, and while it wasn’t what I was expecting (I was thinking something more along the lines of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City or the Rosebowl Parade in California), it was still a very spectatular event.

IMGP0638-59
Hanging above the street… she performs with no net.

For comparison, the parades in the states have huge floats and giant balloons that float over the city and the spectators down below. The Parade here has some large floats – but mostly it’s about the color and the people participating in the parade. You can’t quite get the blimp or helicopter views like you can in the states – but it’s a stunning event just the same – because as a parade watcher – you’re just as much a part of the spectacle as the Parade itself. This year, there were some 4000 street performers most in costume – and many of whom were from the Dublin School of Art and Design (this was their final project, can you imagine!!!).

IMGP0689-104
(One of many representations of the “black dog”)

This year’s Parade theme was based on a competition to write a short story – the winner was Booker Prize winning author Roddy Doyle’s story “Brilliant”. (You can read the story here) The story is about how all of Dublin was depressed due to the recession and how the “black dog of depression” needed to be chased away by a group of well meaning children. As they race about the city’s famous landmarks and places, they encounter fantastic characters and eventually (chapter by chapter) bring back sunshine, rainbows, and happiness to the people of the city.

So, how about a few pictures? You can see more of the flickr set here.

IMGP0657-76

IMGP0671-87

IMGP0678-94

IMGP0750-10

IMGP0731-141
Check out the makeup!

IMGP0735-145
At the end of the Parade, The Phoenix Carries off the Black Dog… and the city re-emerges anew

Share

Christopher Street Day

IMGP4898-2

One of the biggest parties in Berlin every year is the Gay Pride Parade, also known as Christopher Street Day. Christopher Street Day (CSD) Parade is an enormous outdoor Gay / Lesbian Pride Party which has taken place every summer in Berlin since 1979. The festival is named after the Stonewall Riots of 1969 in New York City which was directly caused by a police raid on a gay bar on Christopher Street.

IMGP4918-17

Amongst the largest Gay Rights parties in the world. Straight or Gay, when you’re there you’ll find costumes of all varieties and colors and styles, Huge Tractor Trailer type floats with sound systems, and plenty of live music, and DJ sets, and most importantly — plenty of Beer and happy people.

IMGP4930-24

This year’s theme was Normal is “other” (Normal ist Anders). Sort of saying that no one has a normal love – and that all love is “different”.

IMGP5009-85

IMGP5102-148

I have to say that by far, it’s one of the most enjoyable parties in the city (they march several kilometers – thus the photos of the INSANE SHOES they rocked the entire parade walking in) – but make no mistake, there are plenty of political agendas put forth here too.

IMGP4971-55 IMGP4998-75

IMGP5034-100
IMGP5010-86IMGP5027-96

Among this year’s ajendas were the rights for Gays to adopt children (they can already get married in the eyes of the law – if not in a church), putting forth better equality laws to protect people the world over – regardless of race, creed, religion, or sexual orientation.

IMGP4943-34

This year, my friend, Jean was in town, and I convinced him that we had to go to the parade, expecting that he’d want to leave after a few hours. Once he got there, he too had a great time – agreeing to stay from the beginning to the end – nearly 3 hours worth of parade. One of the things that he noticed, which I noticed at my first CSD was that there aren’t any protesters, just party people. Likewise, there were entire families that had come out to the party – just to teach their kids and encourage them to be more open minded.

IMGP4921-19

Even though I’m straight, Many of my closest friends are Gay, and I love them for being who they are. I feel like by attending, I show my support for them and their rights just as much as my own.


IMGP5074-130

After all, I believe that love can come in many shapes and sizes, and where it appears, only the heart can ever know.

For more pictures and the complete slideshow, you can see below or click the link here.

Share