The Madonna Of 115th Street Faith And Community In Italian Harlem

Italian culture is one of history, family, and religion. Italian immigrants experienced hardships all the way from the poverty in Italy to the less than welcoming established people and Catholic Church of the United States. This is illustrated in the book The Madonna of 115th Street: Faith and Community in Italian Harlem, 1880-1950 by Robert A. Orsi, referenced throughout this paper. The celebration and historical tradition of the Madonna of 115th Street reflects the Italians culture and story. As immigrants they struggled to be fully accepted into the Catholic Church. They carried with them their traditions from their homeland of Italy and expressed them in many ways. One of the largest shows of these traditions is in the festa of the Madonna

People came from all over to celebrate the many nights of the festa (Orsi). The festa began July 16th and went on for hours and hours for about a week (Orsi). People offered gifts and prayers to the Madonna throughout the festa. The streets of the festa were swimming with barefoot immigrants huddled in the July heat in front of the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, the smell of delicious food, and giant artifacts like tall candles and a large decorated float (Orsi). The street festival was a way they could share their culture with others in it. It resembled many typical street fairs in many ways but with distinctions that portrayed the culture in Italian Harlem. The Madonna of 115th Street shared the same history of the people of Italian Harlem at that time (Orsi). She journeyed to the New World along with the other immigrants from the famine in Italy in search of a better life for their families (Orsi). She lived along with them in the Harlem neighborhoods and she shared the poverty and ridicule of the Italians in the American Catholic community during their early years in the United States (Orsi). One of the central parts of the festa is what Orsi refers to as the domus, or the source of meaning and morals in Italian Harlem, in essence the way they tell the good from bad when defining who they were. This acts as a good representation of the culture of Italian immigrants. The festa is altogether centered on the Madonna who they are so thankful for. She portrays Mary who watched over Italian Harlem and was like a guardian angel for the community. This shows how the culture is devoted to praising Mary, a Catholic staple in the Church. They recognize how the loving care of a motherly figure can guide a community. The value of a motherly figure probably comes from their strong ties of family. Orsi