Patronal festival

A patronal feast or patronal festival[lower-alpha 1][3] (Spanish: fiesta patronal; Catalan: festa patronal; Portuguese: festa patronal; Italian: festa patronale; French: fête patronale) is a yearly celebration dedicated – in countries influenced by Christianity – to the 'heavenly advocate' or 'patron' of the location holding the festival, who is a saint or virgin. The day of this celebration is called patronal feast day, patronal day or patron day[4] of said location.

Patronal festivals may reflect national holidays (e.g. the feast of Saint George, patron saint of England, Georgia, Bulgaria, Romania, Portugal, and various regions of Spain), but they usually reflect the celebration of a single city or town. In larger cities, there may even be several festivals, usually about the patron saint of the local parish.

Celebration

Depending to the budget, patronal festivals may run from one day to five days. The festivities usually include religious processions honoring its Catholic heritage. However, elements of local culture have been incorporated as well.

Usually, town members adorn the town streets with colorful decorations and other things.

Most patronal festivals feature traditional fairs known as verbenas (Italian: sagra, plural: sagre), possibly including elements typical of the travelling carnivals. They feature parades, artisans, street vendors, regional food stands, amusement rides, games, and live entertainment, among other things.[5] There are usually alcoholic beverages – wine and beer – and music and dancing, either organized or spontaneously; in Southern Italy and Argentina, for example, folk dances known as tarantellas are very common.[6]

Austria and Germany

Italy

The Italian national patronal day, on 4 October, celebrates Saints Francis and Catherine. Each city or town also celebrates a public holiday on the occasion of the festival of the local patron saint,[7] for example: Rome on 29 June (Saints Peter and Paul), Milan on 7 December (Saint Ambrose), Naples on 19 September (Saint Januarius), Venice on 25 April (Saint Mark the Evangelist) and Florence on 24 June (Saint John the Baptist). Notable traditional patronal festivals in Italy are the Feast of Saints Francis and Catherine, the Festival of Saint Agatha, the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, the Feast of San Gennaro and the Feast of Our Lady of the Hens.

Examples

Spain
Examples

Wales
Main article: Gŵyl Mabsant

Puerto Rico
Main article: fiestas patronales in Puerto Rico
See also: fiestas patronales de Ponce

Most Latin American countries dedicate the first day to the saint or virgin being celebrated, the others to entertainment, but in the US territory of Puerto Rico the musical and entertainment festivities begin right away.

Further examples
Feast of San Gennaro in Little Italy, New York

Serbia
Main article: slava (tradition)

In Serbian culture, instead of local patron saints, people celebrate family's patron saints. These celebrations are known as 'slava' in Serbia.[9]

See also

Notes and references

Notes
  1. By definition, a feast is a "day of commemoration set aside for an important personage, such as a saint" while a festival is a "period of celebration often centered around a religious feast day or a holiday." A feast, then, is a one-day celebration focused on its one special personage; the focus of a festival is much wider.[1][2]

References
  1. Wismar, Greg (2011-10-07). "Feast or Festival?". The Lutheran Witness. Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod. Retrieved 2021-02-26.
  2. "Feasts, Festivals, And Fasts". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2021-02-26.
  3. "patronal". lexico.com. Dictionary.com & Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on March 19, 2022. Retrieved 2021-02-26.
  4. "patron day". lexico.com. Dictionary.com & Oxford University Press. Retrieved 2021-02-26.
  5. Rivera, Magaly. "Patron Saint Festivals". Welcome to Puerto Rico!. Retrieved 2022-02-24.
  6. Inserra, Incoronata (2017). Global tarantella : reinventing southern Italian folk music and dances. Urbana: University of Illinois Press. ISBN 978-0-252-08283-2.
  7. "Festività nazionali in Italia" (in Italian). Italian Embassy in London. Archived from the original on 24 June 2012. Retrieved 15 April 2012.
  8. "El baile de los negritos – Fiesta Patronal de San Francisco" (PDF) (in Spanish). Retrieved 2021-02-25.
  9. "Patron saint day". Serbia.com. Retrieved 2021-02-25.
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