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| By Sarah M. Corigliano Assistant Managing Editor SPRINGFIELD For over a century, Italian-Americans have been carrying on an ancient tradition in Little Italies across the U.S., and Springfield is no exception. For 109 years, the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Society and Mount Carmel Church have celebrated the Italian Feast. It begins on a Friday night, with the climax being a special mass Sunday morning, then a procession down Main Street with a statue of the Madonna. The procession allows people to join in, to add jewelry or trinkets to the statue to symbolize a prayer for someone, or attach money to the statue to give to the church. Former event chairman and owner of La Fiorentina Pastry Shop Leo Danielle explained that this same event has been played out thousands of times over in villages across Italy honoring the patron saint of that village and sending special prayers for loved ones and families. In fact, he said, there might be one each Sunday in certain villages, and two or three in one day in neighboring towns. And they're always followed by a festival or celebration. This year, the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Society's Italian Feast will begin the evening of July 14, from 6 p.m. to midnight, at the society's grounds on the corner of Winthrop and Main Streets. In addition to entertainment by the Jimmy Buffet tribute band, Changes in Latitudes, at 7 p.m., there will be Italian food, games, prizes and family fun. July 15 the Feast begins again at 6 p.m., featuring two performances. At 6 p.m. is Filippo Valli, then at 9 p.m. the Frank Manzi Band performs. July 16 begins with a 10:30 a.m. mass at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church on William Street. "The mass is a big thing, typically a lot of people come to the mass for that day," Danielle said. "You need special permission from the bishop to have that mass there's a lot of preparation behind the scenes that people don't realize." After mass the procession begins, making a few stops on the route, allowing people to come out of their houses to join it, or to bring gifts to the Madonna. From 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. the Feast returns, this time with a performance by "Ray of Elvis." While the music of Elvis might not have been a staple of Italian Feasts past, Danielle said a lot of traditions have survived 109 years. "The traditions then are still in place now as far as the religious aspect," Danielle explained. "The community is welcome it's not a closed kind of society. Everyone is welcome, in and out of Mount Carmel." However, the procession is different in that many people who participated in the past are now not able now to make the walk through the South End. And other, younger marchers have not joined in force. Danielle said he started to see some such changes 25 years ago. "The landscape started to change," he said. "People still marched, and there were fireworks, and cannons going off letting you know that the Madonna was on her way (the cannons let people know 'here she comes, get out in the street, come off the balcony or porch and come visit). The bands would stop and play a tune or a little song for everyone, and there would be two or three [rest] stops where people had sandwiches, coffee ... the people who had done this for 30 to 50 years were the same people who would have these pit stops and everybody was welcome." Danielle said he remembers the women his mother and aunts, included would make the procession barefoot in the summer sun on the street. "They would walk barefoot behind the Madonna all day," he said. Now, he said, most people wear shoes for the procession. "It's fascinating that the Madonna is only a figurine, yet when she comes out it's like people get so emotional it's hard to understand unless you were brought up in that era, or in that situation." At the Feast, most of the food available has been painstakingly prepared by members of the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Society, many of whom own restaurants in the greater Springfield area. Danielle said there are usually about 10 or 12 Italian dishes to choose from, such as sausages with peppers and onions, pasta e fagiole, fried dough, and more. And, Danielle said, while the Feast has fluctuated in size over the years its biggest years were around the time of the 100th anniversary in the late 1990s it's still a reason to go down to the South End and reconnect with one's roots, or learn (and taste) more about another culture. The Our Lady of Mount Carmel Society's Italian Feast will take place July 14, 15 and 16 on Winthrop Street in Springfield, starting at 6 p.m. each night. The Mass begins at 10:30 a.m. July 16 at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church on William Street. In addition to all the members of the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Society and the Women's Auxiliary of the church, other organizers of the Italian Feast include Anna Danielle, chairperson, and Frank Danielle, entertainment chairperson. |