The Feast of San Gennaro
photos by Jhonny Reyes Castro
by Jasmin Vassallo
Little Italy’s Feast of San Gennaro honors and celebrates the life of Saint Januarius, the patron saint of Naples, who was an Italian bishop who died a martyr in 305 A.D. The 11-day feast takes place in the heart of Little Italy along Mulberry Street, between Canal and Houston Streets. The event keeps the spirit and faith of the neighborhood’s early Italian immigrants alive.
Visitors can dine on cannoli, calzones, meatballs, sausage, peppers, and more. The atmosphere is infused with Italian pride and culture. There are authentic Italian restaurants, concession stands, street games, and carnival rides.
Johnny Mandolin, Enrico Caruso, Jenna Esposito and the Gene Roberts Band performed on the Grand Street Stage at Mott Street. There was also a special Neapolitan Concert which was presented by Figli di San Genaro (Children of San Genaro), a non-profit community organization dedicated to keeping the spirit and faith of the early Italian immigrants alive.
The feast kicked-off with the Blessing of the Stands on the evening of September 12th. During this event, a parish priest paraded through the festival blessing all the shops, restaurants, vendors and merchants. There was the 22nd Annual Cannoli Eating Competition, the Meatball Eating Contest, which is in memory of Johnny ‘Cha Cha, and for the first time ever, a Zeppole Eating Competition.
photos by Jhonny Reyes Castro
The Grand Procession featured floats with celebrities, marching bands and vintage vehicles. The procession of Saint Januarius through Little Italy is something to see. Business owners put money onto the figure for good luck. Neighborhood resident Mike was guarding the statue while people stopped to pay their respects.
“A promise, a thank you, an offering,” said Mike, who says he has lived in the neighborhood all his life and visits the church faithfully. “You get a wish. A thank you to God. It’s like lighting a candle. The money is a fundraiser for the church, and charity for the schools that are in the area.” The saint statue returns to the church after the festival.
Louis Fontana, owner of Cafe Napoli in Little Italy, said his restaurant was the first on the block. “In 1972 my grandmother opened the restaurant and it has been there for 47 years,” said Fontana. “When it first started in the 1930s, it was the only one on the block, and as the years progressed, it expanded. All the immigrants migrated here.”
Alessandro, an owner of a popular concession stand on Mulberry Street, is part of Figli di San Gennaro, Inc., the non-profit organization that has been helping to run the feast since 1996. “Over the past 25 years we’ve donated over $2 million to charities,” he said, while helping to prepare the dough for fresh zeppole and fried oreos, then getting distracted by a man who was yelling out that it was his birthday. Fontana quickly responded, saying he was going to make sure to put a candle on one of the desserts for him.
“I have been part of this feast all my life, and it has evolved over time,” Alessandro said. “A lot of the Italians have moved away, and as for the feast itself, it’s still always going strong. That’s why me and my friends joined the board recently to make sure it always stay strong.”
Alessandro explained that earlier in the day he was on Good Day New York with Steve Striper from True Blood and the Sopranos. Striper was the parade grand marshal. One change this year was the return of the arches after 25 years, said Alessandro. “The arches were designed originally for Saint Genaro because they are in the shape of a bishop’s crown. This is time first we brought them back to the feast.”
photos by Jasmin Vassallo