City - NY - The Feast of San Gennero 1908

Colorized photo from 1908, May 16
Original title: Mott St. decorated for relig. Feast
Photographer: Bain News
Location: 171 Mott St, New... more

by Mike Savad

Title

City - NY - The Feast of San Gennero 1908

Artist

Mike Savad

Medium

Photograph - Colorized Photo

Description

Colorized photo from 1908, May 16
Original title: Mott St. decorated for relig. Feast
Photographer: Bain News
Location: 171 Mott St, New York, NY

This is the Feast of San Gennaro in Little Italy, on Mott Street, in New York City. If you live in NY, you'll know its actually on Mulberry street and has been so since Sept 19, 1926. But they must have started it here on Mott. I don't know if the traditions are different from this era, but I'll explain what they do today.

When they first started this, shop keepers got together and created a small chapel in the street devoted to their patron saint. Ribbons were attached, and people would then pin money on that ribbon. This scene was played out in the Godfather movie. The money was then donated to the poor and needy of the neighborhood.

Over time this one day event was stretched into an 11 day street fair, organized and run by the people outside the neighborhood. It attracts a lot of people.

Today if you visited you would be treated so all sorts of Italian desserts and foods. You can see some of them in this picture. On the right, in the cart, you'll see roasted hazelnuts and chickpeas. They sold other pastry's in that cart as well, many you would still recognize today.

The decorations are interesting, there doesn't seem to be any lights. They appear to be small glass cups that are suspended to allow light and probably water, to catch in them.

You can see a couple of details in this scene, like laundry hanging from the rails, there are two cats here, one crossing and one in a window. There is even a parrot in the window, and notice all the kids hanging in front of the candy store.

Today pretty much all of these buildings exist, some are painted though. It's also Chinatown, and not Little Italy.

Uploaded

April 17th, 2021