August is one of the best times of year to head over to the North End, Boston's Italian neighborhood. Yes, it’s hot, humid, and the crowd of tourists chomping on cannolis at Mike’s Pastry creates impassable barrier. But, if you can manage to elbow your way through the crowd on Hanover Street it’s worth it to make your way to the end of the block, where each weekend a new celebratory festival is in full swing.
The Catholic heritage of the Italian residents of the North End is never more evident than the end of summer, when feasts are held each weekend in honor of various saints. If you’re not Catholic — don’t that let that stop you. To be honest, I’m more into the pasta than the prayers. The various religious organizations set up the weekends with a mixture of fun, fanfare, and faith, but the events feel more like carnivals than church.
Sections of Hanover Street and other neighborhood streets are cordoned off to make way for booths serving up delicious Italian street food. My favorite is arancini, fried rice balls that are filled with either meat and peas or spinach. (check out the picture) It’s worth an extra hour at the gym to enjoy.
But don’t stop there, because there’s plenty more (which also means more time on the treadmill). There’s delicious fresh seafood — clams, shrimp, lobster, and calamari — and all sorts of Italian subs and pasta dishes. The smells are so wonderful you’ll start drooling blocks away. If you have room for dessert, you can save yourself the crowds at Mike’s and grab a cannoli from one of the street vendors, share some fried dough, or if you’ve had enough Italian food, get a frozen banana freshly dipped in chocolate to cool you down on the hot day.
If you’re not as interested in fried food as I am, you can keep the visit interesting by grabbing a pitcher in the beer pavilion or playing some of the fun carnival games that are set up. Your competition will be little children, so be prepared to hear some smack talk if you don’t walk away from the stand with a stuffed animal or some other equally unusable prize.
After food, beers, and games, keep walking to get to the concert area. Different bands play throughout the days and it’s great to dance or just pause to people watch. You won’t be disappointed by what you see. The man in the picture below has been planted in his chair right in front of the stage each feast weekend so far.
After food, beers, and games, keep walking to get to the concert area. Different bands play throughout the days and it’s great to dance or just pause to people watch. You won’t be disappointed by what you see. The man in the picture below has been planted in his chair right in front of the stage each feast weekend so far.
The first two feast weekends have already happened. The pictures in this post are from the Feast of Saint Agrippina which was the first weekend of August. But, here’s a schedule of what’s coming next and links to those that have event web sites:
August 7 - 9, 2009
Madonna Della Cava Society
Feast Celebration
Battery & Hanover Streets
August 13 - 16, 2009
Annual Fisherman's Feast of the Madonna Del Soccorso di Sciacca Society of Boston
Feast Celebration
Fleet & North Streets
Schedule of Events Click here
August 28 - 30, 2009
Annual Saint Anthony's Feast of San Antonio Di Padova Da Montefalcione, Inc.
Feast Celebration
Thatcher & Endicott Streets
Schedule of Events Click here
August 31, 2009
St. Lucy Society Feast Celebration
Thatcher & Endicott Streets
Schedule of Events Click here
No comments:
Post a Comment