Photo: Chaiel Schaffel/WBZ NewsRadio
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — The 110th annual Saint Agrippina's Feast kicked off festival season in the North End.
The four-day celebration started on August 1st honoring the patron saint of evil spirits, leprosy, and thunderstorms.
Crowds lined the street as a procession snaked its way along Hanover Street.
Music, food, and performances were all part of the festival.
Saint Agrippina is said to be a princess who was tortured to death by Roman Emperor Valerian in 256 AD because of her Christian faith.
After her death, her body was transported from Rome to Mineo in Sicily.
The journey was believed to be full of miraculous events that protected the passengers who carried the body of the saint.
Some of the people celebrating in the North End said they are descendants of immigrants from Mineo, like Lisa. "It's about keeping family traditions alive," she said. "It's about honoring the people who came here so that we could live in the U.S. and be citizens. It's very emotional."
Saint Agrippina's Feast is the first of several festivals in the North End this summer.
WBZ NewsRadio's Chaiel Schaffel (@CShaffelWBZ) reports.
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