Sons
of Italy Releases 2005 Festival Directory
Press
Contact: Kylie Cafiero, (202) 547-2900 kcafiero@osia.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. - April
1, 2005
A
free directory of nearly 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 2005 Italian Festival
Directory lists 392 festivals in 31 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 30
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 (61), Pennsylvania (50), Illinois
(35) and Massachusetts (31). Other states with
significant numbers of festivals include California
(24), Ohio (21), Connecticut (20) and Rhode Island
(12).
Italian festivals are held coast to coast,
including Maine, Alabama, Wisconsin, Missouri,
Nebraska, Colorado, Nevada, Washington State
and Texas. [See state-by-state tally below.]
The
Sons of Italy
2005 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
Ohio
Connecticut
Rhode
Island
Delaware
Florida
Texas
Wisconsin
Colorado
Kentucky
Maryland
Washington
State
Alabama
West
Virginia
Louisiana
Nebraska
Oregon
Virginia
District
of Columbia
Iowa
Indiana
Maine
Missouri
Nevada
South
Carolina
Michigan
Utah
TOTAL:
|
81
61
50
35
31
24
21
20
12
5
5
5
4
4
4
4
3
3
3
2
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
392
|
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 129th 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 www.osia.org/public/festivals.asp.
For a printed copy, send a large (9" x 12"), self-addressed
envelope with $1.29 in stamps on it to:
Sons
of Italy Festival Directory
219 E Street NE
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, 2006.
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.
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