Photos of San Gennaro Festival, the Height of Italian-American Culture

A version of this article originally appeared on VICE Italy.

Between the 1880s and the 1920s, over four million Italians left the shores of their native country to migrate to the U.S. in search of better opportunities. Most of them came from poor rural villages in southern Italy and formed their own communities in East Coast cities like New York, Philadelphia, Chicago and Boston, bringing their cultural traditions to their new home.

In the decades that followed, most Italian-American families managed to climb up the economic ladder and move to the suburbs or back to the motherland. But those who stuck around their historical neighbourhoods have kept honouring the traditions brought over from the old continent, mishmashing them with all-American elements.

One of the most fun representations of Italian-American culture is the Feast of San Gennaro, a groovy 11-day celebration rooted in the neighbourhood of Little Italy in New York City. Last year, Italian photographer and Brooklyn resident Giuseppe Giammetta made the trip to the iconic Mulberry Street, which began hosting the party back in 1926, to capture the party’s unique vibes.

“I came to New York for personal reasons, but it is not my ultimate destination,” said Giammetta, who grew up in southern Italy and has been living in the city for four years. “New York is an incredible place where magic happens, but it is also the worst place to become attached to things or people.” 

In his series, Figli di San Gennaro (“Sons of San Gennaro”), Giammetta focuses on one of the few remaining examples of authentic Italian-American life: a festival with a long history that has resisted the aggressive pressures of cultural assimilation and capitalist enterprise.

“I had never been to this party before, but I found the atmosphere familiar,” he said. “It was like witnessing village life in Italy: the same body language, the same gestures, the hugs between rediscovered old friends and the formal, cheerful greetings of old acquaintances.”

The San Gennaro festival actually has its origins in Naples, where the Saint is the patron of the city. The real-life San Gennaro was a bishop in the 3rd-century and was martyred by the Roman empire because of his faith. However, his execution turned him into a cult figure for the Neapolitan Christians, and the alleged spoils of his body remained preserved in the catacombs of the city.

Among these relics are two small vials said to contain the blood of the saint. Three times a year – in May, September and December – the vials are taken from their display and put before the public. Worshippers then pray for the substance to turn from solid into liquid in a miraculous act that can happen up to 18 times a year. If the blood liquifies, it’s considered a good omen for the city; if it doesn’t, it’s a curse.

Some scientific measurements conducted without opening the vial found evidence the substance might be blood, but the results are disputed. In the 1990s, a team of scientists also conducted a study where they created a liquid that looks like blood and can turn from solid into liquid when moved, but it’s still unclear why the liquefaction only happens sometimes.

Each 19th of September, on the saint’s dedicated day, the statue of San Gennaro is also paraded around Naples after a mass in his honour. The same procession happens in New York, too. 

“The first celebrations of San Gennaro in the neighbourhood date back to when the first Italian families arrived from Naples in the 1920s,” Giammetta explained. “Nostalgic of their traditions, they decided to continue worshipping the Saint by building a small chapel containing his statue, which is permanently preserved in the Shrine Church of the Most Precious Blood.”

In the early days of the festival, the block’s residents would organise competitions around decorating the emergency stairs or facades of their buildings. The festive atmosphere helped neighbours bond with each other despite the extreme poverty they were experiencing, Giammetta told us. 

Over the years, the small block party turned into a full-on festival, with a few all-American additions: merry-go-rounds, pastry competitions, and iconic eating contests featuring cannolis and spaghetti and meatballs. 

“Today, rites and traditions like the feast of San Gennaro still keep the people who lived in the neighbourhood together,” Giammetta said. “Those who have left return that week to celebrate not only the saint, but also the sense of community.”

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