Wilkes students uphold Irish traditions on St. Patrick’s Day

With St. Patrick’s Day approaching, many old traditions and family values are emerging among Wilkes students. Because of a rich historical heritage, St. Patrick’s Day, celebrated on March 17, has a special relevance in the Wilkes-Barre and Scranton area.
The annual Scranton Parade is one of the biggest St. Patrick’s Day events in the country. Overall, the celebration is the fourth-largest St. Patrick’s Day parade in the United States, according to NBC Philadephia. In 2008, there was an estimated 150,000 people who attended the parade. This year, the Scranton St. Patrick’s Parade will take place on March 13 and will start at 12 p.m.
According to www.stpatparade.com, a page devoted to the parade in Scranton, the event has been held for many years, beginning in 1962.
The Scranton parade has a personal importance to pharmacy major Natalia Petrochko. “I’ve been in the [Scranton] parade twice, but I’ve never actually gone to see it,” she said.
Petrochko, a freshman, says she is usually a participant in parades rather than an observer. She used to play bagpipes in the Edward P. Maloney Memorial pipe band from Binghamton, New York, and admits that she is disappointed that she is unable to participate this year.
“Normally I would be playing the bagpipes in the parade, but because of school I haven’t been able to go to practice, so this year I’ll just be supporting the band, cheering them on from the sidelines,” she said.  Petrochko has marched in several parades since she began playing the bagpipes. “I’ve been playing the bagpipes for about five years,” she said, adding that she has marched in countless parades during that time.
Being a part of the parade has become a great St. Patrick’s Day memory for Petrochko, since she was able to spend time with all of her friends in the band. “It’s just a lot of fun; I know back home our parade day is the same thing, just get out and have fun.”
Petrochko enjoys being active in the St. Patrick Day festivities, even though there is no ancestral importance behind it for her. “I’m not even Irish.  I’m Russian,” she said.
For Julie O’Leary, there is a family significance behind her celebration. The freshman mathematics major enjoys a traditional St. Patrick’s Day dinner with her family every year to celebrate their Irish heritage.
“Corned beef and cabbage is the main thing, and then you have some other sides, like sometimes my mom will make corn and potatoes,” said O’Leary.
This St. Patrick’s Day feast has been a tradition in the O’Leary family through many generations.  “Both my parents are 50 percent Irish, so I’m sure they grew up doing the same thing.”
O’Leary said she looks forward to the customary meal each year, so much that it has become her favorite part of the holiday. “We only do it once a year, that’s the only time my mom makes it,” she said.
For her St. Patrick’s Day tradition, freshman nursing major Sarah Rollison attends the Scranton parade, along with thousands of other community members. Like Petrochko, Rollision is not accustomed to viewing the parade from the sidelines.
“I actually played in band with my high school and marched in it for the last four years,” said Rollison.
Rollison says that the parade attracts all types of people. “It’s either a lot of really bizarre people, or a lot of really normal people just trying to enjoy the parade.”
Since she hails from the Scranton area, Rollision looks forward to the time spent at home with her relatives. “My favorite part would probably just be getting to hang out with my family again, because I’m from around Scranton,” she said.
Rollison believes that the importance behind the parade is a result of the associated history. “I think in Scranton there’s a lot of the Irish history, like a lot of people that came over from Ireland and settled around this area. Then, I think over the years…it just got so much attention that it just expanded.”
According to “Colonial Scots-Irish Immigrants: The Irish Records”, an article by Kyle J. Betit, many of the earliest Scots-Irish immigrants settled in Pennsylvania during the 1720’s and 1730’s.  This immigration in the Scranton area is what began the celebrated culture.
The enhanced Irish culture is one of the best aspects of the parade for Ryan Stanger, theater arts major. “The whole Irish atmosphere, there’s just so much culture there, it’s so much fun to be a part of.”
Stanger also marched in the parade during his high school career. He has been involved with the parade every year since he has moved to the area. The highlight of his St. Patrick’s Day experiences is the memory of when his high school band won the parade contest among the other participating bands.
Whether it is attending the Scraton parade or spending time with family, there are plenty of ways that students can appreicate this Irish celebration.  It is clear that there is more substance to this holiday than just lepricons, shamrocks, and pots of gold.