Christian holy day and holiday. Since the 2nd century, Christians have established special
days in honor of martyrs and models of holiness. Usually observed on the reputed date of
the saint’s death, these holy days originally involved worshipful veneration at his or her
tomb and, consequendy, were quite localized. Later, local church calendars began to
include feast days honoring saints from other churches. By the Middle Ages virtually
every day of the year had become part of the sanctoral cycle, the annual round of holy
days devoted to venerating particular saints. Moreover, many saints’ days had become
civic holidays as well as occasions for piety.
Though almost every day is a saint’s day, an individual Christian observes only a few
of them. These may include the feast of his or her patron saint, the holy person under
whose special guardianship the person was placed when baptized. Often the person
shares the saint’s name. In some American ethnic groups with a strong Catholic heritage,
the saint’s day replaces a birthday celebration.
During the course of the year, Christians may also participate in the feast of the patron
saint of the parish church, civic community, occupation, or some other group to which
they belong. Moreover, since entire countries or regions may enjoy the special care of a
particular saint, Americans whose ancestors came therefrom may observe that saint’s
day. For example, an Irish American seaman named Michael who attends St. Anne’s
Church might acknowledge at least with prayer the feast days of Sts. Patrick (March 17),
Nicholas, patron of sailors (December 6), Michael (September 29), and Anne (July 26).
Though community observances of saints’ days often assume specific ethnic
dimensions and may, in fact, become expressions of ethnicity as much as of religious
devotion, certain features are relatively consistent. Almost always, churchmen will carry
the saint’s statue through the community, usually arriving at the church for a Mass, which
may be celebrated by a priest representing the community’s ethnic heritage. Since in the
late 20th century the festivities are frequently held on weekends instead of the traditional
dates for feasts, several days may be given over to celebratory activities evincing little
overt religiosity. Food booths and carnival-like games raise funds for the organization in
charge of the celebration. Music, including that of the relevant ethnic folk heritage and
contemporary popular music, provides accompaniment for dancing. A festival king and
queen, often young children, may be crowned.
Though community saints’ days flourish in virtually every American ethnic group
with religious roots in Catholicism, no group has continued to observe such a variety of
saints’ feasts (feste) as Italian Americans, who use these occasions to demonstrate their enduring campanilismo (a sense of identity with their specific ancestral village).
Consequendy, Italian communities in the United States hold feste honoring Sts. Gennaro
(Neapolitans), Rossilia (Palermitans), Paulinus (Nolani), Giusseppe (southern Italians,
especially Sicilians), and many others.
Each saint’s day celebration has its distinctive qualities, but they all remind the
participants of who they are religiously, ethnically, and sometimes occupationally.
William M.Clements
References
Cohen, Hennig, and Tristram Potter Coffin, eds. 1991. The Folklore of American Holidays. 2d. ed.
Detroit: Gale.
Orsi, Robert Anthony. 1985. The Madonna of 115th Street: Faith and Community in Italian
Harlem, 1880–1950. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
Riis, Jacob. 1899. Feast Days in Litde Italy. Century 58:491–499.
Sciorra, Joseph. 1985. Religious Processions in Italian Williamsburg. Drama Review 29:65–81.
Swiderski, Richard. 1987. Voices: An Anthropologist’s Dialogue with an Italian-American
Festival.Bowling Green, OH: Bowling Green State University Popular Press.