We’re in Saratoga Springs, in upstate New York, a resort town famous for its historic race track and mineral springs. But for families who’ve lived here on Saratoga’s west side for generations, the big event of the year is the Feast of St. Michael’s. I’m Jim Metzner and this is the Pulse of the Planet, presented by DuPont. This weekend festival was started in 1913, as a way to to honor St. Michael, the patron saint of what was then a predominantly Italian-American neighborhood. In what became the central tradition of the feast, a statue of the saint was carried through the streets on a wooden boat.
“No matter who you ask, they will tell you a different story about the boat.”
Leona Casey Signor is historian of the West Side Neighborhood Association.
“The common story about the boat is it represents the Italian people coming over to Ellis Island by boat. And supposedly the first feast was to thank St. Michael the Archangel for bringing them over here safely.”
Legend has it that the original boat was made by a local woman who prayed to St. Michael for her son, who was sick with typhoid. If he was cured, she promised to build a boat.
“And she did. He became well. She took a whiskey barrel and took the pieces of wood and built this boat.”
John Barella remembers another of the old traditions — a competition involving a greased telephone pole.
“On top of the greased pole there used to be a hundred one-dollar bills, a buncha pepperoni, Italian salami, a ball of provolone. The object was to climb the greased pole and if you got to the top, you were the one that pulled the money down. Now if you got a hundred one dollar bills, 30, 40 years ago, that was a lotta, lotta money.”
We’ll hear more in our next program. Pulse of the Planet is presented by DuPont, bringing you the miracles of science, with additional support provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities. I’m Jim Metzner.
Feast of St. Michael: History
The Feast of St. Michael's takes place this weekend in Saratoga Springs, New York. A wooden boat has always been the centerpiece of the festival -- but no one's quite sure why.
Air Date:08/16/2000
Scientist:
Transcript:
music: "O Sole Mio"
We're in Saratoga Springs, in upstate New York, a resort town famous for its historic race track and mineral springs. But for families who've lived here on Saratoga's west side for generations, the big event of the year is the Feast of St. Michael's. I'm Jim Metzner and this is the Pulse of the Planet, presented by DuPont. This weekend festival was started in 1913, as a way to to honor St. Michael, the patron saint of what was then a predominantly Italian-American neighborhood. In what became the central tradition of the feast, a statue of the saint was carried through the streets on a wooden boat.
"No matter who you ask, they will tell you a different story about the boat."
Leona Casey Signor is historian of the West Side Neighborhood Association.
"The common story about the boat is it represents the Italian people coming over to Ellis Island by boat. And supposedly the first feast was to thank St. Michael the Archangel for bringing them over here safely."
Legend has it that the original boat was made by a local woman who prayed to St. Michael for her son, who was sick with typhoid. If he was cured, she promised to build a boat.
"And she did. He became well. She took a whiskey barrel and took the pieces of wood and built this boat."
John Barella remembers another of the old traditions -- a competition involving a greased telephone pole.
"On top of the greased pole there used to be a hundred one-dollar bills, a buncha pepperoni, Italian salami, a ball of provolone. The object was to climb the greased pole and if you got to the top, you were the one that pulled the money down. Now if you got a hundred one dollar bills, 30, 40 years ago, that was a lotta, lotta money."
We'll hear more in our next program. Pulse of the Planet is presented by DuPont, bringing you the miracles of science, with additional support provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities. I'm Jim Metzner.