.jpg "St. Agrippina Feast")
It’s August and that means one thing, it’s feast time in the North End of Boston. This past weekend was the first big feast of the summer with the Saint Agrippina Feast. Saint Agrippina Di Mineo was a blond princess born to a noble Roman family who was tortured to death by the Emperor Valerian in 256 AD. After her death, her body was taken from Rome to Mineo, Sicily, by three holy women; Bassa, Paula and Agatonica. The Greeks also honor her and claim to have relics of her. Sant’ Agrippina is the patron saint of thunderstorms, leprosy and evil spirits. She is celebrated every year during the first weekend of August.
These feasts are an amazing tradition to be a part of, walking along with the shrine through the streets of the North End stopping and collecting contributions in her honor. Singing, chants, marching bands it has it all. The best part is you can get right in the middle of it and really be a part. So many people simply watch from the sidewalks, many are tourists, but to walk with the statue, the people carrying it, and with the bands it really is a different experience. If you are in Boston this month and are searching for something a little different to do and want a little old world tradition this is the thing to do. This coming weekend is the Feast of Madonna Della Cava. I’ll be there in the middle of the madness again having a blast. If you are around stop on by. It’s not just a procession, there is also a huge street festival with Italian food and carnival style games, fun for the whole family. Below is a slideshow of some of the hundreds of photos I took that afternoon.
