St. Patrick’s Day is actually more widely celebrated than Mardi Gras across the U.S. That confirmation comes from Paul Myers, general manager of Beads by the Dozen, Inc. in suburban New Orleans, who has been tossing a lot of beads into distribution this year. 

The Mardi Gras tradition of beads has prompted increased orders for the homage to the Irish at heart. Over the past five years, Myers says the St. Patrick’s orders have doubled each year and the company’s product inventory itself has greatly expanded. Beads are increasingly being shipped for patriotic holiday parades throughout the year, and Halloween parades are being added to complete community calendars. 

This year, throughout the month of March, there are more than 140 registered St. Patrick’s Day parades held on one of the four weekends of the month. The three largest parades in New York City, Chicago and Savannah stick to the traditional celebration on March 17. 

 
Surprisingly, the first St. Patrick’s Day parade was in New York City in 1762 and not in Ireland where the holiday is more of a religious feast day. 

Myers says the concept of throwing trinkets from parade floats emerged with Mardi Gras celebrations in the 1840’s tied to festival customs from the English Renaissance. It has grown considerably beyond traditional Mardi Gras colors of purple, green and gold. 

About the colors … he noted this year was like no other. The demand was for gold and black as well as fleur-de-lis designs that far surpassed supply. Thanks go to the playoff drive and success of the Super Bowl Champs, the New Orleans Saints. Rush orders had to be placed in China to beat production cutoffs before the Chinese New Year as the Saints’ pushed to the championship. We like to think brown joined in the color of celebration, as express shipments made regular UPS flights direct from China. 

In January alone, Beads by the Dozen had 20 percent growth over its previous year. 

Managing the peak season can be a challenge since Mardi Gras falls on different dates each year. The extension to the St. Patrick’s Day selling season can span as much as six weeks or as little as one week. Myers says next year will bring a “perfect storm.” Mardi Gras culminates with Fat Tuesday on March 8th just a week before St. Patrick’s Day. 

Myers is still surprised that riders can load floats to the point of having nowhere to stand until halfway through the parade when product has been thrown. 

I asked about tossing style – overhand, underhand or multiples in a throw. He shared his experience: “Eye contact should be made with your intended target. You definitely want them to know what is coming to them.”