Greater Waterbury Italian Festivals
Every festival is the same, right? Especially every Italian festival, right? Wrong.
Despite that they all have various commonalities, such as the Italian food and the Italian music, each one has a distinct set of characteristics which make all of the Italian festivals unique.
For instance, the Cercemaggiore Community Club attracts Italians from the area of Cercemaggiore, Campobasso, Molise, Italia, and their descendants. These people have a culture which sets them apart. Their food is prepared in a slightly different manner, their dialect is all their own, and their cultural events are unique to them.
Italy has 139 clearly definable dialects; some Italians from one region - to this day - have trouble communicating with Italians of a different region. More pronounced than here in the United States, this is akin to a native New Yorker going to deep country Tennessee and having a conversation. The marked difference is a result of the more extreme geography; a crow, for instance, might fly 35 miles from one city to the next, but the travel by car may be over 200 miles.
The Cercemaggiore festival is held on private grounds, and is generally open to the public. There is a fee for parking, and the parking is also exclusively on their property. There are no rides or games at this festival. This festival easily attracts 10,000 people over its 3-day period, and is officially "la festa della Madonna della Libera".
Despite that they all have various commonalities, such as the Italian food and the Italian music, each one has a distinct set of characteristics which make all of the Italian festivals unique.
For instance, the Cercemaggiore Community Club attracts Italians from the area of Cercemaggiore, Campobasso, Molise, Italia, and their descendants. These people have a culture which sets them apart. Their food is prepared in a slightly different manner, their dialect is all their own, and their cultural events are unique to them.
Italy has 139 clearly definable dialects; some Italians from one region - to this day - have trouble communicating with Italians of a different region. More pronounced than here in the United States, this is akin to a native New Yorker going to deep country Tennessee and having a conversation. The marked difference is a result of the more extreme geography; a crow, for instance, might fly 35 miles from one city to the next, but the travel by car may be over 200 miles.
The Cercemaggiore festival is held on private grounds, and is generally open to the public. There is a fee for parking, and the parking is also exclusively on their property. There are no rides or games at this festival. This festival easily attracts 10,000 people over its 3-day period, and is officially "la festa della Madonna della Libera".
The Italian festival at Town Plot Hill's Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church is open to the public, held on Church grounds, and attracts Italians of all backgrounds. This festival, however, is more specific to the residents of the Town Plot, and is frequented primarily by them, and the parishioners of that Church. Many people come from miles away to attend, because it is, after all, and Italian festival. This feast is enhanced by a balloon house for young children. This festival easily attracts 15,000 people over the 4-days of its presence.
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The Italian festival at the Sons of Italy in Southington, sponsored by UNICO, is quite different. It caters to Italians in general. This makes it a cross-cultural event. Similarly, the Italians visiting this festival are primarily from Southington, versus those of Oakville and Watertown, who are the primary guests at the Cercemaggiore event, which is held at the Grand Oak Villa. This is a street festival, and is co-sponsored by many of the businesses along the roadway. Parking is mostly on-street; there are no rides or games. The Sons of Italy festival easily attracts 15,000 people as well.
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Clearly the largest Italian festival in the area is the Festa di San Donato at the Pontelandolfo Community Club. Although this festival is hosted primarily toward the people and descendants of Pontelandolfo, Benevento, Campania, Italia, it clearly attracts Italians of all backgrounds. Enjoying a Sister City relationship with Waterbury - 18% of all Italians in Waterbury trace their roots to Pontelandolfo - this feast attracts many of Bridgeport's heavy Pontelandolfesi population. Many people from Waterbury were devastated after the earthquakes struck Pontelandolfo many years ago, and many of the fleeing Pontelandolfesi met an ill fate not long after the earthquakes, at the L'Ambiance Plaza collapse in Bridgeport.
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The Festa di San Donato is the largest in geography, covering an estimated 24 acres - dwarfing the combined land mass of all other area festivals; about. About 9 acres are used for the festival rides, attractions, food, pavilions, and soccer. This feast is also the largest in populous, bringing an estimated 80,000 lovers of all that is Italian to their park grounds.
This is also the only Italian Festival in the area which sponsors soccer games as part of its annual attractions. Despite being a mecca of bocce throughout the year, no bocce is offered at the festival. This festival is also the largest in terms of menu selection, amusement rides, and overhead protection from the elements - they have two 100' pavilions for seating, and a 120' pavilion for food and food preparation. |
Bocce, incidentally - often mispronounced as bah-chee - is correctly pronounced bow-chay.
Of all the Italian cultures in this area, the Pontelandolfesi are the most active and loyal supporters of their heritage, and of the Pontelandolfo Community Club - hence its success beyond its population. This festival also hosts a series of rides for children and adults, is held on their own private property, has ample parking, and has an extended menu - to include suffritto, quail, and a full bar.
To boot, this is the only area festival which has a cheese rolling contest each of the 4 days, an eating contest 3 days, and a greased pole event (spectacle, really). This is also the only Italian festival in the area to have a display of fireworks - and spectacular they are!
The upcoming Italian Festival on Ansonia's Father Salemi Drive is the last of the areas Italian festivals. This feast occurs on the grounds of the Holy Rosary Church. This festival caters to Italians of all backgrounds, is open to the public, includes rides, games, raffles, and other events. This festival takes place over a 3-day period, and is the only Italian Festival which is not open on Sunday.
Of course, all of these Italian Festivals combined are made insignificant by the Aviglianese Italian festival of years past. Those festivals, which were held at Lakewood Park for many years - and were distinctly separate and different from the Festa di San Donato, and were held only weeks apart from the Festa di San Donato each other for several years. Those Italian Festivals graced Waterbury by attracting 1.2 million visitors a day for each of 4 days.
These Aviglianese feasts, sponsored in part by the Aviglianese Athletic Club in Waterbury's Hill Street neighborhood, centered around the Aviglianese population of Waterbury - representing over 80% of the Italians in Greater Waterbury. Waterbury also enjoys a Sister City relationship with Avigliano, Potenza, Basilicata, Italia. The rides alone at these festivals took up more geography than the entirety of any of the other festival areas. They were like a street fest in a park, and utilized over 80% of the park's (non-lake) footprint - so, nearly 18 acres (including about 2 acres for vendor parking).
Both the Pontelandolfo Community Club, and the nearly abutted Lakewood park, are found in the Great Brook neighborhood, and border the North End and Bucks Hill sections of Waterbury.
Of all the Italian cultures in this area, the Pontelandolfesi are the most active and loyal supporters of their heritage, and of the Pontelandolfo Community Club - hence its success beyond its population. This festival also hosts a series of rides for children and adults, is held on their own private property, has ample parking, and has an extended menu - to include suffritto, quail, and a full bar.
To boot, this is the only area festival which has a cheese rolling contest each of the 4 days, an eating contest 3 days, and a greased pole event (spectacle, really). This is also the only Italian festival in the area to have a display of fireworks - and spectacular they are!
The upcoming Italian Festival on Ansonia's Father Salemi Drive is the last of the areas Italian festivals. This feast occurs on the grounds of the Holy Rosary Church. This festival caters to Italians of all backgrounds, is open to the public, includes rides, games, raffles, and other events. This festival takes place over a 3-day period, and is the only Italian Festival which is not open on Sunday.
Of course, all of these Italian Festivals combined are made insignificant by the Aviglianese Italian festival of years past. Those festivals, which were held at Lakewood Park for many years - and were distinctly separate and different from the Festa di San Donato, and were held only weeks apart from the Festa di San Donato each other for several years. Those Italian Festivals graced Waterbury by attracting 1.2 million visitors a day for each of 4 days.
These Aviglianese feasts, sponsored in part by the Aviglianese Athletic Club in Waterbury's Hill Street neighborhood, centered around the Aviglianese population of Waterbury - representing over 80% of the Italians in Greater Waterbury. Waterbury also enjoys a Sister City relationship with Avigliano, Potenza, Basilicata, Italia. The rides alone at these festivals took up more geography than the entirety of any of the other festival areas. They were like a street fest in a park, and utilized over 80% of the park's (non-lake) footprint - so, nearly 18 acres (including about 2 acres for vendor parking).
Both the Pontelandolfo Community Club, and the nearly abutted Lakewood park, are found in the Great Brook neighborhood, and border the North End and Bucks Hill sections of Waterbury.
