Sons of Italy Releases 2006 Festival Directory
Press
Contact: Kylie Cafiero, (202) 547-2900 kcafiero@osia.org
WASHINGTON,
D.C. - April 21, 2006
A free directory of over 400 annual Italian American
festivals in the United States is now available through
the Order Sons of Italy in America (OSIA), the biggest
and oldest national organization for men and women
of Italian heritage in the United States.
The Sons of Italy 2006 Italian Festival Directory lists 406 festivals in 32 states
and the District of Columbia that are held between February and December annually.
The directory supplies each festival's name, month it is held, city, state and
contact information. It is 40 pages long and is based on information about festivals
held by Sons of Italy chapters as well as on the research of Paul Porcelli, an
expert on Italian American festivals.
The early Italian immigrants brought the custom of honoring saints with outdoor
ceremonies to America more than 100 years ago. The festivals vary in size and
character. Some consist of only the saint's statue, a band and a procession,
while others are colossal celebrations that last several days and include symphonic
bands, entertainers, food stands, rides and fireworks. A familiar sight at most
festivals is the saint's statue covered with money or jewelry, which is later
donated to the local church or saint's society.
The five states with the most festivals are: New York (81), New Jersey (62),
Pennsylvania (56), Illinois (35) and Massachusetts (32). Other states with significant
numbers of festivals include California (26), Ohio (21), Connecticut (21) and
Rhode Island (13).
Italian festivals are held coast to coast, including Maine, Alabama, Wisconsin,
Missouri, Nebraska, Colorado, Nevada, Washington State and Texas. [See below
state-by-state tally.]
According to Porcelli, the oldest festival is believed to be the Feast of Our
Lady of Mount Carmel in Hammonton, N.J., which this year celebrates its 130th
anniversary in July. The biggest festival is the Feast of San Gennaro held every
September in New York City, which attracts about one million people. Other large
festivals are in Milwaukee (“Festa Italiana" in July) and Clarksburg,
W.V. (the Italian Heritage Festival in August).
Some festivals include such traditional events as the Flight of the Angels (the
Feast of the Madonna del Soccorso di Sciacca in Boston, in August; the Feast
of Our Lady of Laurentana in Berwyn, Ill., in September), the Greased
Pole Contest(the Feast of St. Peter in Gloucester, Mass., in June; the
Feast of Saint Rocco in Malden, Mass., in August), and the Dance of the
Lily, in which about 100 men carry a five-ton platform through the streets
for hours (in Brooklyn, East Harlem and Massapequa, N.Y., in June and July).
The Sons of Italy directory is free. It can be found on the OSIA Web site at
http://www.osia.org/public/pdf/2006_festival_directory.pdf. For a printed copy,
send a large (9" x 12"),
self-addressed envelope with $2.07 in stamps on it to:
Sons
of Italy Festival Directory
219 E Street N.E.
Washington, DC 20002
Sorry. No telephone or fax orders.
To
add your festival to next year's directory, please
contact OSIA headquarters in Washington by mail at
the above address or by fax (202/547-1492) or e-mail: kcafiero@osia.org.
No telephone calls, please.
Send the name of the festival, month held, city, state and a contact person
or organization with a telephone number and/or email address. Deadline for
submissions: January 31, 2007.
Established in 1905, OSIA works at the community,
national and international level to promote the heritage
and culture of an estimated 26 million Italian Americans,
the nation's fifth largest ethnic group, according
to the U.S. Census Bureau.
The
Sons of Italy
2006 ITALIAN FESTIVAL DIRECTORY
Compiled by the Order Sons of Italy in America, Washington, DC
STATE-BY-STATE TALLY
|
New
York
New
Jersey
Pennsylvania
Illinois
Massachusetts
California
Connecticut
Ohio
Rhode Island
Delaware
Florida
Texas
Wisconsin
Colorado
Kentucky
Maryland
Washington
State
Alabama
Virginia
West
Virginia
Louisiana
Nebraska
Oregon
District
of Columbia
Idaho
Iowa
Indiana
Maine
Missouri
Nevada
South
Carolina
Michigan
Utah
TOTAL:
|
81
62
56
35
32
26
21
21
13
5
5
5
4
4
4
4
3
3
3
3
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
406
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