The Feast of San Gennaro has been taking place in Little Italy, NYC since 1926. This year the feast began on September 12 and ran through September 22. The purpose of this event is to celebrate Saint Januarius and his rewarding life. It’s a very wholesome and popular event that attracts all types of people, but especially Italian-Americans and Neapolitans.
The History of San Gennaro: San Gennaro was from Naples, Italy and was the Bishop of Benvenuto. Italians pray to San Gennaro for protection from natural disasters. He is known for his great loyalty to Christ and how he was protected by him.
When faced with violence and anger, San Gennaro prevailed. Although, when he went to visit his incarcerated friends, other Church elders, the result was him being beheaded by jail agents and that day, September 19, he died a martyr. While his body parts were bleeding out, a man and woman collected his head and body and filled a phial with his blood. His body remains in his motherland of Naples, Italy and every year on the date of his martyrdom and the first Sunday of May, his usually solid blood liquifies. He is now known as the patron saint of Naples.
Mulberry Street: When Italians migrated to the United States, many of them settled in Manhattan. Each region of Italian immigrants moved to a different street, Neapolitans on Mulberry Street. Neapolitans started the tradition of the San Gennaro feast on their block. Since then, the feast has grown in both size and popularity since its birth 98 years ago. Now, the feast runs from Canal to Houston Street, stretching eleven blocks.
The Feast: This lively feast encapsulates the aspects of real Italian culture. From the various ethnic food options to the fun attractions like international acts and live music, there is something for everyone. The diversity of this event makes it even more enjoyable.
When people leave the feast, they come out preaching about how good the food was. From food vendors there, you can get Italian specialties like sausage and peppers, cannolis, gelato, clams, zeppoles, calamari and more. An Italian-American and Hawthorne resident, Rebecca Blaney, went to the feast recently and said, “I had a great time. I loved the atmosphere because it reminded me of visiting my family in Naples. Everything I ate was delicious, but the cannoli were my absolute favorite!”
While the main purpose of this event is to celebrate the life of San Gennaro, it also successfully introduces newcomers and younger generations to Italian culture. Hopefully as you’re reading this article it will convince you to go experience those eleven blocks of the Feast of San Gennaro.