The Fantastic Ferragosto Festival in the “Real” Little Italy
This is PART IV of four posts looking back on my short but highly eventful trip to NYC last week > FOLLOW HERE
After a whirlwind (for my age) four days in New York City last week which took me down to Bleecker Street, uptown to Harlem and back to The Bronx, my short five-day stay in my beloved city needed a grand finale. And guess what was happening on the afternoon of my last full day? One of the most dynamic events in The Bronx – the Ferragosto Festival in the “real” Little Italy.
Ferragosto Festival: Little Italy, Bronx
Ferragosto is a public holiday celebrated on August 15th in all of Italy. It originates from Feriae Augusti, the festival of Emperor Augustus, who made August 1st a day of rest after weeks of hard work on the agricultural sector. Even oxen, donkeys and mules were released from their work duties and decorated with flowers(!)
It became a custom for the workers to wish their employers “buon Ferragosto” and receive a monetary bonus in return. This became law during the Roman Renaissance throughout the Papal States.
Little Italy in The Bronx is home to numerous family-owned small businesses, many of which are owned and operated by the same families that founded them over a century ago. An economic as well as a cultural engine, the neighborhood (also called Belmont) serves as host to thousands of regional and local shoppers as well as domestic and international tourists every year.
The neighborhood’s interesting history dates back to the 1700’s when French tobacconist Pierre Abraham Lorillard came to New York and started the first tobacco company, P. Lorillard & Co., which is still in business today. Their original plant, the “Old Snuff Mill” still stands in the New York Botanical Garden.
At that time, they manufactured snuff and originally opened in lower Manhattan shortly before moving up to the Bronx where they purchased a large tract of land along the Bronx River and built their estate which they named “Belle Mont.”
In 1870, Catherine Lorillard Wolfe, Pierre’s great granddaughter, inherited the vast estate. Portions of the estate were donated to become St. Barnabas Hospital and others were transformed into the Bronx Zoo and the New York Botanical Garden. Construction on these institutions drove Italian immigrants to move and work in the Belmont community and by the beginning of the 20th century, the neighborhood was established as “Little Italy” and often referred to as the “Italian colonies”.
And being a great admirer of President Chester A. Arthur, Wolfe named the main street of this community, “Arthur Avenue,” in his honor.
In the many years since, Belmont has been home to tens of thousands of immigrants from Italy and all over the world, providing inspiration for movies, musicians, literatures, and theatre. Some of these include the 1950’s classic film, “Marty,” the 1970’s film “The Seven-Ups,” and the 1990’s film, “A Bronx Tale.”
Over 25 years ago, the merchants of Arthur Avenue and East 187th Street decided to bring the Italian celebration of Ferragosto to the Bronx, and engage visitors in Italian culture, traditions, musical and theatrical entertainment, and of course, the delicious Italian food we’ve come to know and love.
The generations of Italians who have roots here was clearly visible as my ladyfriend Serena and I (both of us armed with our Sony Alpha cameras) walked the bustling streets of Arthur Avenue between East 187th Street and Crescent Avenue. People singing, people singing and crying (happy tears, of course), people dancing arm in arm to classic Italian songs, and of course, people eating. Lots of people eating.
And Italian pride? Fuggedaboutit!
So do yourself a favor should you find yourself in or around NYC the Sunday after Labor Day – get down to the “real” Little Italy in the Bronx and behold one of the most joyous festivals you’ll ever attend – Ferragosto.
Enjoy the photographs…
My Favorite photographs of the festival? This adorable couple who we found dancing as if they were the only two people on the planet…
When you dance down the street
With a cloud at your feet, you’re in love (that’s Amore!)
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