{"id":19345,"date":"2015-03-15T11:03:19","date_gmt":"2015-03-15T11:03:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/viconsortium.com\/?p=19345"},"modified":"2015-03-15T11:06:42","modified_gmt":"2015-03-15T11:06:42","slug":"st-patricks-day-celebrations-bring-masses-to-christiansted-town","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/wp.viconsortium.com\/?p=19345","title":{"rendered":"St. Patrick’s Day Celebrations Bring Masses To Christiansted Town"},"content":{"rendered":"

Christiansted was the site of the biggest party on island Saturday when the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade converged on the historic St. Croix town bringing\u00a0with it revelers of all kinds.<\/p>\n

The parade kicked off in the vicinity of Times Square and headed down to the Christiansted waterfront. To say the mood was festive is an understatement.<\/p>\n

As the yearly celebration of Irish culture has grown in popularity on St. Croix, local groups like Fusion Band provided music for the revelry, in addition to there being participation from\u00a0steel pan orchestras, local DJs, and various local troops.<\/p>\n

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Vendors lined the parade route serving up delicious\u00a0local eats, such as saltfish pate and drinks like tamarind.<\/p>\n

And the dancing in the streets was at an all-time high.<\/p>\n

At\u00a0the parade’s close, the\u00a0party continued on the Christiansted boardwalk\u00a0with a selection of\u00a0bands arranged on floating stages anchored at the dock offering up\u00a0classic R&B tunes, soft\u00a0rock, reggae, calypso, soca and more.<\/p>\n

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James sailed in from St. John to attend St. Patrick’s Day celebrations on St. Croix<\/p><\/div>\n

Then, there was the man visiting from St. John donning an electric-green tutu, a purple fanny pack, and dripping in party beads. There was the leprechaun hanging out with\u00a0the man covered from head to toe in a green body suit. Plus, the camo-wearing, winged fairy and the man with a hat made from a watermelon with clover carvings all added to the fun. Indeed, there was no shortage of creativity to celebrate Irish patron saint, St. Patrick.<\/p>\n

One man said it was the first time he had attended the event\u00a0in 15 years.<\/p>\n

“About fifteen years ago, I had a problem and I came out to see if it’s different now,” he said. “And it is different now. I have my better half with me and I’m meeting all my friends who I haven’t seen in so many years.”<\/p>\n

The man, who, when asked for his name, told VI Consortium<\/em>,\u00a0<\/em>“Chuck is my name and love is my game,” soon returned to the dancing he had been doing to\u00a0the infectious sounds\u00a0of the R&B Connection band playing nearby.<\/p>\n

James from St. John said although he didn’t participate in the actual parade, he\u00a0sailed over\u00a0with a group of friends to enjoy the day’s festivities.<\/p>\n

“We just hung out on the side looking all festive like we do,” he said.<\/p>\n

Then, praising the efforts of the organizers of the parade, James added, “It’s a lot better than the one on St. John, that’s for sure.”<\/p>\n

From one end of the boardwalk to the next, throngs of people came out to celebrate Irish culture, even a little pooch donning green paws and tail.<\/p>\n