The White House gets in the fun by dyeing the water in the fountain on the south lawn green on St. Patrick’s Day.

The tradition started in 2009, when first lady Michelle Obama, a native of Chicago, decided to bring a version of her city’s tradition to Washington D.C.

For St. Patrick’s Day, some cites in the USA get festive by dyeing local bodies of water green.

Chicago officials dyed a portion of the Chicago River green on March 14. The tradition dates back to 1962 when Mayor Richard J. Daley and the chairman of the parade Stephen Bailey first did it. Stephen Bailey got the idea after realizing the dye used to detect leaks from plumbing into the river was a perfect shade of “Irish green”, according to the Chicago St. Patrick’s Day Parade committee.

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