The story of Little Italy’s Feast of San Gennaro is the story of how Italian immigrants became American

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(The Conversation) — For two weeks in September, everyone wants to be Italian – at least judging by the crowds at the annual Feast of San Gennaro in New York City’s Little Italy.

Founded in 1926, the largest and longest-running Italian festival in the United States celebrates its 100th anniversary this year, with locals and tourists alike descending upon Mulberry Street in Manhattan to celebrate Italian American culture.

To be sure, there’s plenty that’s commercialized: Frank Sinatra impersonators croon “New York, New York,” while vendors hawk shirts with quotes from “The Godfather” and “The Sopranos” at astronomical prices. Classic Italian American fare like chicken parm subs and sausage and peppers fly off food carts.

And yet in my work as a medievalist , I’ve explored how this festival champions traditions that go back thousands of years.

If anything, the fact that centuries-old rituals coexist with sweet Italian sausages and big, floppy pizza slices speaks to a lengthy, strenuous and beautiful process of cultural assimilation.

From the Bay of Naples to Little Italy Between 1881…