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Condensed from
www.initaly.com/regions/sicily/joetabl.htm
This page was last edited on
08/26/2008
I taly
has dozens, if not hundreds, of
saints' days. Each little town
and village, each major city,
has its saint,
and on the
saint's day the town, village or
city stops to celebrate and pay
thanks. The festivities can take
many shapes, from the most
purely religious to the most
hedonistically secular.
Generally, the custom is to
welcome one and all, whether
local resident or casual
visitor.
Generally
speaking, saints' days are more
fervently recognized in the
South. Sicily's most important
saint is Giuseppe (Joseph),
Father of Jesus, whose day is
celebrated on March 19. Many
activities are scheduled,
including the very unique one
called the St. Joseph's Table.
This ancient tradition goes back
to the Middle Ages. At that time
there was an exceptionally
severe drought in Sicily. No
rain fell for an extended period
of time, no crops would grow,
and countless people died of
famine. The peasants prayed to
God for rain, and they also
prayed to St. Joseph to
intercede with God on their
behalf. They promised that if
God caused it to rain, they
would have a special feast
honoring God and St. Joseph.
By
miracle, the rains came and the
crops were planted. With the
harvest, the people prepared a
feast of foods from their crops.
This has become known as the
Tavola di San Giuseppe. Through
the centuries, people who have
prayed for a favor and been
granted the favor use this
festivity to show their thanks.
The "favor" requested must not
be for personal gain or benefit.
Some common requests are the
safe return of a loved one from
a war (very common request
during World War II), or that a
loved one will be cured and
survive from a serious, life
threatening illness or accident.
St.
Joseph Table 2002 |
St.
Joseph Table 1942 |
People have
asked why there is no "meat" on
the Table. This is because, even
if the poor peasants could
afford meat, it is the Lenten
Season, so no meat is used. In
the tradition of other towns
that were closer to the sea,
fish was readily available and
fish dishes were used on their
Tables. But our town is in the
center of Sicily. No fresh fish
was available, so none is used
here.
Texas
Congressman
Nick Lampson's Table
(courtesy of NIAF) |
This is an
altar hosted by Denise Degelia
Deluke and Louis and Geneva
Morella on April 21st in Bryan,
Texas. This is the 2nd time they
have hosted together and will be
hosting another one on April 6,
2003. 450 people were served and
there were 30 saints and breads.
Denise Degelia
DeLuke
Giuseppe
Pappalardo submitted this photo
of the 2002 Table they put on in
Ottawa, Canada.
Here is a
picture of a St. Joseph's Table
made by the Longo family in
Boyle Heights (Los Angeles
County) in 1946. My Great Aunt
Rose Longo promised a table to
St. Joseph for sending her boys
home from WW2. She did it for 10
years with the help of her sons,
daughters and their wives and
husbands. It was
beautiful......a joy to see.
Thanks,
Katherine (Randazzo)
Here are some
pictures of Houston's Charity
Guild of St. Joseph's altar of
2004. Our altar had an
outstanding turnout and people
have come to expect not only the
beauty of the altar but the
lovingly baked goods that are
sold after the blessing. This
group of women are a total joy
to work with and it was an
experience that will live on in
my memory forever.
Vickie Tamburo
Sengbusch
 
 
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