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.