Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Festival of San Gennaro, NYC

Bill and I were pleased to find ourselves in New York during the 90th anniversary of the annual Festival of San Gennaro. 
It takes place on Mulberry Street in Little Italy. We walked south from our apartment to where Lafayette Street divides into Mulberry on the left.
 When we arrived the street was packed.
Bill and I entered the closed street under the watchful protection of the NYPD
and the Fire Department.
We were tempted by the colourful cocktails for sale
 as well as  the crazy photo ops
and the traditional carnival games. 
A vendor of sweets
including this enormous halvah.
Deep fried Oreo cookies and other deep fried treats
 and traditional Italian pastries were available about every ten feet.
A display of plates of decorative fake food.
 For the savory palate there was roasted corn,
there were kebabs
 and sausages all barbecued over coal fires
and oysters on ice!
The bars filled up fast. These signori are enjoying hand-rolled Cuban cigars.
The local Italian restaurants lined the street with covered patios.
 Mambo Italiano!
At the bottom of Mulberry Street we stopped in to the Church of the Holy Blood
with its classic Neapolitan nativity crèche.
 Saint Januarius, also known as San Gennaro, is the patron saint of the city of Naples in Italy and of the Little Italy Festival. This shrine was outside the church -- note the paper money offerings.
 On his three feast days Gennaro's blood (preserved in a bank vault in Naples) is said to liquify. That's Gennaro on the right in a niche in the church.
 It was dark when we returned to Mulberry Street.
 It was our turn to eat. I got us a chicken parmigiana sandwich. It was tasty.
The street was very festive after dark
but sated in body and soul we tourists made our way home.

2 comments:

  1. Fascinating photos!
    Glad you caught that neighbourhood festival.
    I really want to visit Naples soon - hopefully in 2017.
    LisaRR

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  2. We'd love to get back to Naples soon too, Lisa. The Nolita festival was great fun!

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