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Hoboken Italian Festival 2024 the feast of Madonna dei Martiri: Op-ed by anonymous

MOLFETTA 21/09/2024

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Thomas Aquinas once said that "Community is where our humanity is born and nurtured." Questo senso di comunità was exemplified in early September when the Molfettese-American community celebrated the 98th annual Madonna Dei Martiri Festival in Hoboken. Beginning with a mass at 11:00 am at St. Francis Church featuring Don Ignazio Pansini, sacerdote di Molfetta, seguì una solenne processione.

The annual Madonna Dei Martiri Festival, more recently known as the Hoboken Italian Festival, is an important cultural and religious experience per la prima, seconda e terza generazione di Molfettesi Americani living in the tri-state area. This year, due to rain on Saturday the 7th, the procession and boat ride was postponed to Domenica 8 settembre, stesso giorno in cui annualmente si tiene la processione a Molfetta.

Unexpectedly, this year’s events happened as simultaneously as possible despite the approximate 4500 mile distance and six hour time difference.
Extremely organized and well planned, the event seemed bigger than ever yet did not feel claustrophobically crowded. With cultural memories and historical tributes sprinkled about, this year’s festival felt special. Supported by local and Italian politicians, ospiti dalla Puglia, e con una band di musicisti direttamente da Molfetta, this year’s festival felt glamorous as well.

The Molfettese diaspora have always felt a strong sense of patria and a fierce connection to their homeland. This is documented on this website ilovemolfetta.it and by looking at all the social media of the Molfettese communities in Argentina and multiple cities in Australia, to name a few. Seguendo le altre processioni della Madonna Dei Martiri che si svolgono in tutto il mondo a settembre adds to a sense of tradition and connection around the world.

Events like this create social connections. People from similar backgrounds and upbringings were able to share in this weekend-long experience speaking their native dialect. I partecipanti alla processione ritrovarono amici che non vedevano da anni. Festival attendees saw childhood neighbors after decades creating bittersweet reunions. These connections foster a strong sense of community.

This coupled with maintaining cultural traditions helps maintain positive mental health, family well-being, e un senso di appartenenza - a sense of belonging.
In May 2023, the US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy proclaimed that Americans were facing devastating impacts of an epidemic of loneliness and isolation - solitudine e isolamento - and called for action to address this public health crisis by calling for ways to create and sustain social connections.

Psychologist Robin Dunbar once said, "We are social creatures, and our well-being depends on our connections with others."

Cultivating a sense of community is more important than ever as it helps combat our fast-paced and stressful daily life and improves overall well-being. The festival and procession are as much cultural events as they are religious ones. Le tradizioni forniscono un senso di continuità, stabilità e appartenenza, collegando al contempo le generazioni passate e future. Researcher Brenè Brown said,

"When people feel connected to others, they are less likely to experience loneliness, depression, and anxiety."
Supporting and maintaining the tradition of these festivals and experiences is of utmost importance. These experiences are important to our radici e cultura, il nostro paese diaspora and our piece of Italian-America and our mental health and well-being.

Evviva Maria and long live this healthy and important tradition.

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