Saint Patrick’s Day is celebrated in many countries including Singapore, Japan, and Russia.  Even here in Chicago the city goes all out for the holiday including a parade and the dying of the Chicago River a vibrant, Irish green.

This tradition of dying the river started in 1962 and has been going on for over 50 years now. Chicago is the only city to successfully dye their river a different color and to have it be so bright.

It all started when Stephen Bailey, a first generation Irish immigrant and the business manager with the Plumbers Union of Chicago, found out a plumber was dying the water green because he was trying to detect a sewage that was dumping into the river.  Bailey got the idea to die the whole river green for Saint Patrick’s Day.

To this day the city of Chicago does not fund or do the dying, the Plumbers Union does it themselves.  They take pride in this project and sure are dedicated.  As the dye the river they often inhale some of the ingredients turning their snot, sweat and even urine green.

The first year they dyed the river they used 100 pounds of fluorescence dye and the river was green for a week.

Nowadays, they have changed the ingredients to be more environmentally friendly and only use 40 pounds of dye.  It takes an hour and a half to dye the river and the color lasts for four to five hours.

The biggest surprise about  dying the river is that the dye they use is actually an orange color at first. Once it mixes with the water, it turns green.

The Saint Patrick’s Day parade as well as the dying of the river takes place on March 16, the Saturday before the holiday.  The river is dyed at 10 a.m. and the parade starts at 12 a.m..  If interested in celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in downtown Chicago this year, click here  for details about the parade and other celebrations and for more information on the dying of the Chicago River.

Want to learn more about the dying of the river? Watch this! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBm-eX-VIMg

By: Christine Juhas