{
  "id": 8024174,
  "title": "The story of Little Italy’s Feast of San Gennaro is the story of how Italian immigrants became American",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/the-story-of-little-italys-feast-of-san-gennaro-is-the-story-of-how",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-17T12:22:55.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Conversation",
    "slug": "the-conversation",
    "url": "https://theconversation.com/the-story-of-little-italys-feast-of-san-gennaro-is-the-story-of-how-italian-immigrants-became-american-291237"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "New York City's Feast of San Gennaro has evolved from a modest, localized celebration into a massive, 11-day festival that attracts over a million visitors each year. The event, which takes place in Little Italy's Mulberry Street during the last two weeks of September, marks the centennial of its founding in 1926. The festival showcases Italian American culture, but it also preserves traditions that date back thousands of years.\n\nBetween 1881 and 1920, more than 4.5 million Italians immigrated to America, with thousands settling in Manhattan's Lower East Side to form Little Italy. These immigrants, predominantly from southern Italy, faced challenges such as overcrowded tenements, difficulty finding work, and discrimination from both Irish Catholics and local Protestants. However, as Italian communities grew, they were able to establish their own Italian-speaking churches and organize their own celebrations.\n\nOne such parish, the Church of the Most Precious Blood, built in 1904, played a crucial role in the festival's development. In 1926, a group of parishioners led by Alexander Tisi organized a tribute to San Gennaro, a 3rd-century Christian bishop from Naples who was martyred for his faith. Gennaro's blood liquefies on certain feast days, leading Italians to view it as a sign of his protection. In 1926, the festival included a procession featuring a 3-foot statue of San Gennaro, carried through the streets by parishioners. Although the blood relic was absent, a bone fragment of Gennaro was carried and placed in a reliquary around the saint's neck.\n\nThe festival's success quickly caught on, with The New York Times reporting in 1928 that thousands of ex-Neapolitans were attending a week-long celebration. However, the procession faced opposition from New York Police Commissioner Joseph Warren, who deemed the dollar bills pinned to the statue as undesirable. Despite this setback, the Feast of San Gennaro continued to evolve, maintaining its cultural significance while adapting to American life.",
  "summary": "Italian immigrants used to be accused of clinging too tightly to the Old World. Today, millions gather in Little Italy to celebrate the food, faith and traditions they brought with them.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}