By: Genevieve Shaw  

6/4/02

Last weekend kicked off a series of traditional festivals taking place nearly every weekend of the summer in the North End. The festivals, or "feasts" as locals call them, honor various religious figures with a processional, music, food and fireworks.

The processional is the central event of every feast. At this past weekend's feast, six men, with an Italian-American Band from Lawrence, Mass., carried a statue of Madonna Di Anzano from its home at St. Leonard's Parish on Hanover Street through the streets of the North End.

"It is great to see the whole neighborhood out on the weekends", St. Leonard's parishioner John Scalentelli said. "These feasts are one of the things that make the North End special."

The feasts range from smaller ones with celebratory masses and simple processionals to larger feats including parades, marching bands, food stands and celebrity appearances. The most lavish of all the feasts is August's Fisherman's Feast in honor of Madonna del Soccorso. This four-day celebration takes over both Lewis and Fleet Street with music, dancing, children's rides, raffles, and food.

Lewis Street resident Ryan Brown says, "The Fisherman's Feast is such a big deal around here. The music goes on all night. No one around here gets much sleep while the feast is going on."

The music act for this year's Fisherman's Feast is still not known, but last year Jerry Vale performed. The feast ends with the "Flight of the Angel," featuring a young girl dressed as an angel lowered from a three-story window to a statue on the street below.

Brown says, "The feasts are one of the only times all year the young professionals in the neighborhood have the chance to interact with the authentic North Enders who have been here for generations. It's great."

If you are looking for an old world experience, you might want to check out one of this summer's festivals. Admission and entertainment is free, but don't forget your wallet ? you'll want to sample all the food. Below is a schedule of the feasts:

July

Maria Della Grazia July 7

Procession Only

St. Rocco July 14

Procession Only

St. Joseph July 26-28

Battery & Hanover Streets

August

St. Agrippina August 2-4

Battery & Hanover Streets

Madonna Della Cava August 9-11

Battery & Hanover Streets

Madonna Del Soccorso (Fisherman's Feast) August 15-18

Fleet & North Streets

St. Dominic August 25

Procession Only (North Sq.)

St. Anthony August 23-25

Thatcher & Endicott Streets

St. Lucy August 26

Thatcher & Endicott Streets

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