The Feast of San Gennaro
September 21, 2009 - Ana Barbu
Little Italy offered New Yorkers more choices of delightful Italian dishes between Sept
ember 10 and 20 than on any other days of the year during the 82nd Annual Feast of San Gennaro on Mulberry St. Described as New York City’s "longest-running,
biggest and most revered religious outdoor festival in the United States," the festival disseminated the enticing smells of the doughnut-like funnel cakes, zeppole (a Napolitan pastry), as well as the mouth-dripping sights of cannoli (a Sicilian specialty), gelato, cotton candy, chocolate and cheese cakes.The Feast was organized by Figli di Gennaro (the Sons of Gennaro), a not-for-profit
community organization that has operated
the Feast for nearly 15 years.
The Origins of the Feast
Although the Feast has a party-like atmosphere, it is an annual celebration of the Patron
Saint of Naples, which began on September 19, 1926, when newly-arrived Italian immigrants brought their tradition to celebrate the martyrization of San Gennaro in 305 A.D. Initially, the Festival lasted for one day, but over the years, people decided to prologue the celebration to 11 days. Every year on September 19,
a religious procession winds along Mulberry and Mott Streets, between Canal and Houston St., with the Statue of San Gennaro. The procession begins immediately
following a Celebratory Mass held at the Most Precious Blood
Church on Mulberry St., the National Shrine of San Gennaro. The rest of the 11 days are also special because more than 35 Italian restaurants in Little Italy outdo themselves as they try to please their customers' taste and smell senses.
The Festival's Attractions 
Good food was not the only attraction. Numerous vendors displayed thousands of bracelets, sarongs, hippie dresses, and Murano glass jewelry. People threw balls in targets to win stuffed toys representing cartoon characters as Scooby Doo and Spiderman. Others could have the scene immortalized by an old painter who skillfully depicted the atmosphere in pastel colors. 
Keeping San Gennaro Happy
Figli di San Gennaro, Inc. puts the processions amassed from the Feast to good use. For the past 10 years, the company has been able to donate approximately $1.8-million to worthy causes helping children and education of the Little Italy community and beyond, to the rest of the five boroughs of New York.
