Photo: Suzanne Sausville (WBZ)
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Thousands lined the streets of Boston for the annual parade of the Puerto Rican Festival of MA Sunday.
With more than 300 participants and about 50 elements including floats, dancers, and musicians, the parade started at noon and went from Copley Square to City Hall Plaza. The festival is one of the biggest celebrations of Puerto Rican, or Boricua, culture and heritage in the United States.
"The island’s original name is not Puerto Rico, it’s Borinquen, so we call ourselves Boricua," said Stephanie, who was born and raised on the island. "Because it stays true to our roots, we like keeping it as traditional and knowing our ancestors and where we’re from."
Among the many guests enjoying the carnival rides, games, and food was Mayor Joshua A. Garcia, the first Puerto Rican mayor of Holyoke.
"They’ve appointed me as the 'Padrino,' the godfather of the parade," Garcia told WBZ NewsRadio as he beamed with pride at the surrounding festivities. "We love to be loud, I know I’m loud. The Puerto Rican culture definitely knows how to make itself known when they’re in a place."
Other special guests at the parade included a group of "dancing" horses bred specifically on the island.
"These horses are Paso Fino, it means fine walkers," said David Gonzalez of Monson. "There’s no translation for it because the breed was registered in Puerto Rico. They’ll be dancing, the legs will be moving like a hundred miles an hour. People will think that we make them do that, but they are born doing that."
WBZ's Suzanne Sausville (@WBZSausville) reports.
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