Food festival. Italian. Pastries. I didn’t need any convincing to attend the 86th Annual Feast of San Gennaro. Running over 11 days, it is New York City’s biggest, most famous religious festival. It is to celebrate the Patron Saint of Naples and first took place in NYC in 1926, when immigrants from Naples settled along Mulberry Street. It was tradition back in Naples to celebrate the day in 305 A.D. when Saint Gennaro was martyred for the faith, so they continued this celebration in their new homeland. There is a Celebratory High Mass held at the Most Precious Blood Church on Mulberry Street, where there is the National Shrine of San Gennaro; which is then followed by a procession through the streets of Little Italy, where the statue of San Gennaro is carried. The feast attracts over 1 million people every year, which was really evident when I was trying to make my way through the crowd to sample the food. But if you have patience and a good appetite, you’ll really enjoy the Feast of San Gennaro. I had a very healthy lunch of pizza, followed by a deep-fried Snickers bar (just had to try it!) and a custard pastry.
The National Shrine of San Gennaro
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