St. Patrick's Day: How Will You Celebrate?

Sunday, March 17, 2013, is St. Patrick's Day and it is expected to be widely celebrated, as it always is, in the U.S.

It's not hard to understand why. It was reported on Largo Patch that about 36.5 million U.S. residents claim Irish ancestry, more than eight times the actual population of Ireland.

And since America is such a melting pot, we celebrate many traditions from other countries, be it Mardi Gras, Cinco De Mayo or — as many will do next Sunday — St. Paddy's Day. 

While corned beef and cabbage isn't really considered traditional American cuisine, it is likely to be on the weekend. Althought adopted as a traditional St. Patrick's Day meal, it's not as traditional as bangers and mash and actually began in New York City.

According to History.com, in 2009 about 26.1 billion pounds of beef and 2.3 billion pounds of cabbage were produced in the United States. No doubt a larger proportion than usual is consumed on St. Patrick's Day.

On Saturday, March 16, 2013, there will be the annual Atlanta St. Patrick's Day Parade as well as the big one in Savannah, Ga., on the same day. According to the city's website, of the more than 100 St. Patrick's Day parades in the U.S. every year, the one in Savannah is consistently one of the largest.

So how do you celebrate, a parade with the family, corned beef and cabbage, or a night on the town with a heavy consumption of green beer?