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2006

ITALIAN CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS AT ST. LUCY’S
The Good Witch To Arrive At Saint Lucy’s Church, Directly From Italy!
12/20/2006

SLOW FOOD REVOLUTION
Can Food Be A Political Issue?
A Book Signing And Presentation By Gigi Padovani
10/24/2006

Columbus Day Parade Of New Jersey
Celebrations In Bergen County With An Italian Twist
10/08/2006

An Evening Dedicated To Sicily - The Gem Of The Mediterranean Sea
09/25/2006

SPIDER DANCE: THE MYSTICAL POWER OF TARANTELLA
A World Premiere Of Techno Tarantella In New York City
06/29/2006

ANTI-MAFIA JUDGE And THRILLER WRITER:
THE DOUBLE LIFE OF GIANRICO CAROFIGLIO
04/20/2006

AN AFTERNOON WITH ITALIAN PLAYWRIGHT DACIA MARAIN
04/04/2006

Splendori Di Sardegna A New York
La Grande Mela E` Palcoscenico D’eccezione Per La “Settimana Sarda Nel Mondo”
04/01/2006

The Allure Of Sardinia Comes To New York
Celebrations For The “Sardinian Week Around World” In The Big Apple
04/01/2006

MUSICÀNTICA: FROM ITALY WITH LOVE
A Musical Journey Through Southern Italy’s Oral Traditions
03/31/2006

ANTI-MAFIA JUDGE And THRILLER WRITER: THE DOUBLE LIFE OF GIANRICO CAROFIGLIO
03/30/2006

Papal Documents Of World War II Era Published In English For The First Time
02/28/2006

Celebrating Women's Month With An Italian Twist
02/28/2006

ITALIAN CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS AT ST. LUCY’S
The Good Witch To Arrive At Saint Lucy’s Church, Directly From Italy!
Wednesday, December 20, 2006

What a thrill and what anticipation!!!! Waiting for La Befana’s arrival directly from Italy is such a momentous occasion for children: the benevolent old woman with magical powers who visits children on the eve of the Epiphany. She leaves candies and presents for the good children, but coal and ashes for the naughty ones! St. Lucy’s Church, 118 Seventh Avenue, Newark, NJ 07104 on Saturday. December 30, 2006, from 2 to 4 PM.

The event will start at 2:00 PM at St. Lucy’s Church in the National Shrine of St. Gerard, were the attendees can have will have a chance to have a guided visit the magnificent, authentic Neapolitan Presepio. In the suggestive Italianate, Romanesque church is an exquisite Neapolitan nativity depiction that has been created by St. Lucy’s parishioners for ninety-eight consecutive years: a labor of love and dedication. In 1908, Louis Penza, an immigrant from Atripalda, Italy started the tradition of the placement of the nativity in St. Gerard’s Chapel at St. Lucy’s. Many of the original terra cotta and cloth figures that Louis Penza placed in the mountain village in 1908 will still be visible in this year’s presepio which has now been creatively designed and constructed by Vincent DiCostanzi. Since the presepio is always evolving and changing, it will never look exactly the same each year. The detail is astounding. On the back wall of one of the shops, actual little bottles are arranged; a tiny meat grinder sits on the table in the sausage making shop; miniature hams and roasts hang at the butcher’s. Included in the bustling village scene is a bakery, cheese shop, a store that sells baskets and a bird in a cage. At the center of it all is the stable, with Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus being the most prominent figures. The faces of the Neapolitan figures are finely detailed and highly individualized, making this an example of one of the finest and most amazing Neapolitan nativity scenes in the world. This is a true treasure in the middle of Newark. If you have never seen this Presepio, now is the perfect opportunity to see a unique creation.

The event will then continue at the Community Center (walking distance), downstairs. There, while waiting for la Befana, the visitors can relive the spirit of the ward and the history of St. Lucy’s, with an exhibit about the history and experience of life in Newark’s former First Ward, which was home to the fifth largest Italian population in the United Stated, until its demise in the 1950’s.

This year featured Befana, will be a formerly resident of Verona, and now traveling all the way from her home town, coincidentally, Verona, Italy: Regina M. Folston.
The children will play Tombola (bingo) and learn some Italian words, while feasting on panettone and other snacks.



Reservations are required. Please call The Center at 973.571.1995 or 973.571.1116. The admission fee is $5.00 for children; free for adults. Refreshments will be served.

The Center for Italian & Italian-American Culture, Inc. is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to preserving and promoting the culture and heritage of Italy. We offer Italian conversation classes, concerts, a yearly women’s program, children’s programs and much more. If you are interested in becoming a Center member, call 973.571.1995 or 973.571.1116

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