White House fountains dyed green for St. Patrick’s Day, dancers line up at Irish embassy
WASHINGTON - In celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, the White House featured a display of green water in the fountains on the north and south lawns. Meanwhile, Irish dancers lined up to perform in front of Ireland’s embassy to mark the holiday.
One of the tinted green fountains was photographed by Rep. Brendan Boyle on Wednesday.
According to The Hill, the annual tradition began in 2012 under then-President Barack Obama, who "famously visited Ireland during his presidency and traveled to a small community where he met distant ancestors."
Celebrations at the White House on St. Patrick's Day
President Joe Biden, the latest president of Irish descent, is set for a virtual meeting Wednesday with Ireland's prime minister, Taoiseach Micheál Martin.
RELATED: Biden to mark St. Patrick's Day virtually with Irish prime minister, praise Good Friday Agreement
The president is expected to attend Mass near his family home in Wilmington, Delaware, before returning to the White House to partake in St. Patrick's Day celebrations toned down due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Dancers were also seen performing outside the Embassy of Ireland in Washington D.C. to mark St Patrick’s Day in footage posted to Twitter.
The embassy wrote, "The quality of Irish dancing in America never fails to take our breath away."
RELATED: WATCH: City officials dye Chicago River green for St. Patrick's Day
Other cities across the United States also got in on the holiday tradition.
Chicago decided to continue its tradition to dye the river green this year, in a bid to provide a slice of normalcy for celebrants after St. Patrick’s Day parades were canceled amid COVID-19 concerns for the second straight years.
According to FOX 32 Chicago, the tradition dates back to 1962 and is handled by the Plumbers Union Local 130.