Entering Little Italy through the Canal Street entrance at 6:00pm for the Feast of San Gennaro

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I had not been to the Feast of Gennaro in about fifteen years, not since my father got sick. I think 2010 was the last time I came to Little Italy for the Feast. The crowds were just as nuts as they were then.

The place was mobbed and made worse by everyone Instagramming the whole event.

The History of the Feast:

(From the Feast website)

At the turn of the 20th century when Italian immigrants settled on the lower east side of Manhattan each region settled on a different street. The Neapolitans settled on Mulberry Street. In 1926 with keeping their Neapolitan traditions they decided to have a one day block party for their patron saint and protector of Naples, San Gennaro, which continued year after year something that has now and for decades become not only a New York icon. This world renown 11 day event, which stretches throughout 11 blocks of the Little Italy neighborhood.

For generations this feast has always been an important part of our neighborhood not only representing the Saint Himself but also representing our ancestors, our culture and our traditions. This collection of booths of food and merchandise is enjoyed by both locals and tourists alike.

The patron Saint of San Gennaro sits in front of the condo building where the old church one stood. I still can’t believe they knocked the church down.

The Story of San Gennaro:

(from the Feast website)

Saint Gennaro was Bishop of Benevento, Italy, and died a martyr in 305 AD during the persecution spearheaded by Emperor Diocletian. He signed his death warrant when he visited the deacons, Sosso and Proculo, and the laymen, Eutichete and Acuzio, in jail.

The Proconsul, Timothy, had Gennaro arrested. He underwent torture without wavering in his resolution to remain loyal to Christ. He was thrown headlong into a furnace, but by the grace of God, he come through unscratched.

Furious, the agents beheaded him. His body and the severed head still dripping blood were gathered up by an old man who wrapped them reverently in a cloth. An old Neapolitan lady collected the blood with a sponge and filled a phial with the precious liquid. The body of Saint Gennaro is preserved in Naples, where he is honored as the city’s principal patron.

The Neapolitans pray to him for protection from fires, earthquakes, plagues, droughts and the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. In every emergency Saint Gennaro is their powerful champion and universal helper.

Things have gotten worse with the foot traffic between everyone filming and photographing and Tik Toking it and the excessive amount of baby carriages (who would bring an infant to these things? It’s noisy, crowded and late!) makes getting down Mulberry Street even harder.

The crowds on the side streets were just as bad

The food is the same as usual with sausage sandwiches, meatball subs, rice ball’s and plenty of Zeppole.

Pozzuoli Pizza was one of the vendor’s at the feast

https://www.facebook.com/pozzuoli.pizza.party/mentions/

The pizzas at Pozzuoli Pizza

Looking at all the food and sandwiches, I heard music in the back of one of the side streets and stopped to listen to the music of Jenna Esposito, who was performing that evening.

Jenna Esposito performing the night

Jenna Esposito sign and contact information: What a Talent!

https://www.jennaesposito.com/

https://www.facebook.com/jennasparkle/

Before she left on break, she sang ‘Volare’ which brought down the house. It was great way to end that part of show.

Jenna Esposito and her band singing ‘Volare’

The Feast as it started to get dark

I continued to walk down Mulberry Street and was dying for some zeppole, small pieces of fried pizza dough ladened with powered. I found a place and they looked like they were freshly frying them.

It was not until I ordered them and they were lukewarm and a little greasy. The woman said the were closing up shop and she gave me what seemed like twenty. Even though they were large and tasted good nothing is worse than zeppole’s when they get cold.

I thought these had been freshly made but were like warm. The only benefit was she gave me about 20 for $5.00. I was stuffed when I finished the entire bag of them. It must have been two pounds of fried dough that I consumed.

I walked through the mountains of crowds as this was the last night of the feast and a beautiful night. I took it as tourists and locals alike wanted to enjoy the evening. Again the worst was people pushing baby carriages through the streets of the feast.

I am sorry everyone, I do not think infants should be subjected to this type of noise and light this late into the evening.

The crowds around 8:00pm

The organizers of the feast brought the festival back to its original border of Houston Street so the there was room to stretch. These later blocks were not as crowded as those closer to Canal Street and had more retail vendors than food vendors.

Reaching the border of the feast at East Houston Street

When I used to attend the feast back in the 1990’s, the Feast would stretch the entire length of Mulberry Street straight into Chinatown and the whole street from East Broadway to Houston Street would be packed with food vendors, games and retail vendors. It shows how both the neighborhood and the Feast have changed.

Passing the Sausage and Pepper vendors walking back to Canal Street

The sausages always look so good

I was not too sure how many people were going to eat this much sausage at 8:40 pm at night.

All good things have to come to an end as the evening got late and by 8:15pm, a lot of vendors started to close up as the feast was closing by 9:00pm on the last night.

The crowds started to thin out by the time I got to Canal Street and it was easier to walk through the Feast. It was a lot of come to come back after all the years. I just forgot how crowded it was on Mulberry Street.

Walking back to the E subway on Canal Street

The Feast of San Gennaro takes place every year the week after Labor Day in New York’s Little Italy

The History of the Feast: