St. Patrick’s Day is Thursday, but some Americans started celebrating two weeks ago. The city of Alexandria, Virginia, held its annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade on March 5. So did three cities in New Jersey. The holiday is a big deal in America and not only for the 33.1 million Americans who claim Irish ancestry. Many non-Irish Americans will join Irish friends in wearing green clothes on Thursday. Many will lift a mug of Guinness, the famous Irish beer. At a Washington, D.C., luncheon this week, President Barack Obama made a note of how big St. Patrick’s Day has become. “Now, it’s true that it’s not technically St. Patrick’s Day, but that's OK,” Obama said. “Most folks who celebrate it aren’t Irish either.” The holiday honors Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. Patrick lived in the 5th century. He was taken by pirates and kept as a slave in Ireland. After he escaped, he trained as a priest before returning to Ireland. “Patrick preached and converted all of Ireland for 40 years,” wrote Catholic Online.
Title: In America, ‘Everyone’ Is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day
Content: <div id='article-page'><div id='article-content' data-media-url='//news-app-staging.s3.amazonaws.com' data-base-url='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/907/sp_audio.m4a' data-capture-url='//staging.analytics.lingraphica.com/events/capture_news' data-article-title='In America, Everyone Is Irish on St. Patricks Day' data-article-id='1332'><script src='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/javascripts/getscripts.js'></script><link rel='stylesheet' href='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/stylesheets/article.css' type='text/css' /><div class='article'><p><span data-start-time='0' data-end-time='7333'>St. Patrick’s Day is Thursday, but some Americans started celebrating two weeks ago.</span> <span data-start-time='7333' data-end-time='15083'>The city of Alexandria, Virginia, held its annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade on March 5. </span> <span data-start-time='15083' data-end-time='18375'>So did three cities in New Jersey.</span> <span data-start-time='18375' data-end-time='29813'>The holiday is a big deal in America and not only for the 33.1 million Americans who claim Irish ancestry.</span> <span data-start-time='29813' data-end-time='37292'>Many non-Irish Americans will join Irish friends in wearing green clothes on Thursday. </span> <span data-start-time='37292' data-end-time='43333'>Many will lift a mug of Guinness, the famous Irish beer.</span> <span data-start-time='43333' data-end-time='53167'>At a Washington, D.C., luncheon this week, President Barack Obama made a note of how big St. Patrick’s Day has become.</span> <span data-start-time='53167' data-end-time='60146'>“Now, it’s true that it’s not technically St. Patrick’s Day, but that's OK,” Obama said. </span> <span data-start-time='60146' data-end-time='64688'>“Most folks who celebrate it aren’t Irish either.”</span> <span data-start-time='64688' data-end-time='70313'>The holiday honors Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. </span> <span data-start-time='70313' data-end-time='73125'>Patrick lived in the 5th century. </span> <span data-start-time='73125' data-end-time='77917'>He was taken by pirates and kept as a slave in Ireland.</span> <span data-start-time='77917' data-end-time='84313'>After he escaped, he trained as a priest before returning to Ireland.</span> <span data-start-time='84313' data-end-time='91125'>“Patrick preached and converted all of Ireland for 40 years,” wrote Catholic Online.</span> </p></div><div class='control-buttons-sticky' style='display:none;'><div class='control-buttons'><button title='Back' class='back' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Play' class='play' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Pause' class='pause' style='display:none;'></button><button title='Forward' class='forward' disabled='disabled'></button><button class='finished-reading' style='display:none;'>Done</button></div></div></div><div id='article-media'><div id='media-image'><img 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data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/907/an_unusual_or_wonderful_event.m4a'><span>an unusual or wonderful event</span></div></div></div><div class='multiple_choice_question question-container' data-question-id=5573 data-hint-location='7333' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/907/how_do_most_us_cities_celebrate_st_patricks_day.m4a'>How do most U.S. cities celebrate St. Patrick's Day?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='parade'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/907/resting.m4a'><span>resting</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/907/feast.m4a'><span>feast</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/907/parade.m4a'><span>parade</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/907/no_work.m4a'><span>no work</span></div></div></div><div class='sentence_completion_question question-container' data-question-id=5574 data-hint-location='64688' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/907/the_holiday_honors_the_patron_saint_of__blank__.m4a'>The holiday honors the patron saint of <span class='blank'>Ireland</span>. </div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='Ireland'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/907/ireland.m4a'><span>Ireland</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/907/america.m4a'><span>America</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/907/india.m4a'><span>India</span></div><div class='choice' 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