L.A.’s Italian-American Community Celebrates Charity and Abundance at St. Joseph’s Day Feast

Mar 23, 2017 1013

While we hear plenty about St. Patrick’s Day festivities this time of year, for many Italian-Americans in Los Angeles the big celebration of mid-March is St. Joseph’s Day. The multi-day event culminates on March 19th, and while the mid-Lenten feast honors the patron saint of Sicily, it’s also celebrated by many immigrants and descendants of other regions of Italy, as well as anyone in need of a hot meal.

Charity is a central component of St. Joseph’s Day, and everyone who attends receives a complimentary plate of pasta, while other traditional foods can be purchased with all proceeds going to feed the hungry and homeless. And while St. Joseph’s Day celebrations take place around L.A. County, including San Pedro, South Pasadena and Montebello, the biggest in the region takes place at St. Peter's Italian Catholic Church on the outskirts of Chinatown, an area that was once a major epicenter of L.A.’s Italian-American community. The feast offers participants from all walks of life to eat and celebrate together as a community.

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SOURCE: https://www.kcet.org

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