(Hear the full interview with Peter Gilberte and Tommy Tucker here)
Each year on March 19th, Catholics in the New Orleans area celebrate St. Joseph’s Day by constructing altars honoring the relief St. Joseph provided during a famine in Sicily. The tradition began in the late 1800s when the city of New Orleans saw a large influx of Sicilian immigrants.
Peter Gilberte, President of the Italian American St. Joseph Society says, “The city was filled with Sicilians who moved to the region to work the farms. The ones who stayed in New Orleans ended up investing in the French Quarter and taking over. The French Quarter was actually dubbed Little Palermo in the 1800s because it was so populated by Sicilian immigrants who came here.”
The altars are in reference to a famine that happened in Sicily, with many in the region praying to St. Joseph for rain. When the rains came and the crops were saved, the tradition began. When those from Sicily started migrating to New Orleans for work and a new life, the alters proliferated.
You can find St. Joseph altars throughout the city … many decorated in candles, flowers, medallions, and other items to create lush designs. Catholic schools in New Orleans will be adorned with altars that vary in design and extravagance. Most will feature the same three features, however: three levels honoring the Holy Trinity. Generally a statue or picture of Joseph, often seen holding the Baby Jesus, is at the center of the highest tier with flowers surrounding him.
St. Joseph was the spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Christian scripture.
That essentially makes him the stepfather of Jesus, as he served as the earthly father of Jesus according to tradition. Why March 19th of every year? That is believed to be the date of Joseph’s death historically.
The parade will roll in the French Quarter on Saturday, March 22nd at 6 pm. Floats and marching bands will be part of the festivities. On Friday from 11 am-2 pm, the Hilton Riverside Hotel will feature parade marshals and food experts who will create the world’s largest bowl of pasta con le sarde. Food, music, and dancing will accompany the event.
Super Sunday will feature Mardi Gras Indians taking to the streets in hand-sewn suits at the St. Augustine Church in Tremé. This historically black church allowed Sicilians to worship, which intertwines them with St. Joseph’s Day.