‘It’s in Our Blood’: Little Italy’s San Gennaro Festival Marks 100 Years

The San Gennaro festival in Little Italy celebrated its 100th anniversary on Sept. 21. The tradition began in 1926 when Italian immigrants from Naples organized a block party on Mulberry Street to honor the patron saint of their hometown.

The Church of the Most Precious Blood on Baxter Street, which holds relics of the saint, celebrates a solemn Mass on the feast day. St. Gennaro was a bishop martyred in 305, and his preserved blood is said to liquefy on his Sept. 19 feast day.

John Fratta, the vice president of Figli di San Gennaro, is the great-grandson of Luigi Vitale, the first president of the feast. Participants often pin dollar bills to the statue of the saint while offering prayers.