Latest news with #SaintUbaldoDay
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Celebrating Italian heritage with Saint Ubaldo Day in Jessup
JESSUP, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — A local tradition that traces its roots half way across the world to the 12th century, the annual celebration of Saint Ubaldo Day pays homage to local Italian heritage. The Race of the Saints has been happening for decades in Jessup. Year after year, the spectacle draws thousands of people along the streets to watch, and this year was no different. The celebration of Saint Ubaldo Baldassini, also known as Saint Ubaldo Day. Jessup natives look forward to it every year. The celebration traces its roots to the borough's sister city in Italy, where the tradition began nearly 800 years ago. 'A lot of people here in Jessup came from Gubbio, Italy, where the festival originated. And when they came here in 1909, they brought the festival with them,' Jessup resident Greg Santarelli said. Santarelli has been running in the Race of the Saints for the last 25 years. His great-grandparents are from Gubbio. Each year, the families of Saint Ubaldo, Saint Anthony, and Saint George run through the hilly streets of Jessup carrying six-foot-tall 500-pound statues of their respective saints. Making a buzz in Hunlock Creek at Honeybee Festival While this isn't his first rodeo, Santarelli says taking part in such a historic tradition never gets old. 'Just excitement, and gratitude for being a part of it. It really is a gift to be a part of,' Santarelli stated. The borough's sister city held its celebration earlier this month. This year, many locals, including Santarelli, traveled there to experience it firsthand. 'It was great. It was great to be there, to see it again, and to be part of it,' Linda Anelli from Dunmore told 28/22 News. 'You go and meet somebody, and they have the same last name as people you've known here your whole life. So it was really, really, it was a really excellent experience to kind of see all of that happen,' Jessup resident Rick Scopelliti said. While the scale of the celebration in Jessup is much smaller than the one in Gubbio, the passion of the participants and the spirit of the saints are just as strong. 'Viva Sant' Ubaldo, viva Sant' Giorgio, viva Sant' Antonio!' Santarelli exclaimed. After the race, a procession with all artifacts used on Saturday made its way back to the Saint Ubaldo Society Cultural Center. Those artifacts will remain there until Saint Ubaldo Day next year. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sister cities: Carrying parts of Gubbio through Jessup on St. Ubaldo Day
When teams of runners careen through the streets of Jessup on Saturday for St. Ubaldo Day's iconic Corsa dei Ceri, they aren't just carrying their saints, they're carrying pieces of Gubbio. In a tradition observed only in Jessup and Gubbio, Italy, runners, or ceraioli, carry statues of St. Ubaldo, St. Anthony and St. George perched atop tall, wooden, candlelike pillars called a cero, as they navigate through the hilly streets of Jessup for La Corsa dei Ceri. With the Family of St. George unveiling last month a new, roughly 6-foot-tall cero handcrafted in Gubbio, all three families will be using statues and saints made in Gubbio, said Curt Camoni, a board member with the Family of St. George who has been running in the Race of the Saints since 2001 — a year after the tradition was revived in Jessup. 'It definitely brings a closeness (to Gubbio),' Camoni said. Gubbio is Jessup's sister city. * Statues from the Family of San Giorgio, Sant'Ubaldo, and Sant'Antonio are presented in the Saint Ubaldo Cultural Center in Jessup. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER) * The upper level of the Saint Ubaldo Cultural Center where artifacts are kept. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER) * Dave Valvano, member of the family of The Family of Sant' Antonio, discusses some of the historical items that are part of Saint Ubaldo Day in the Saint Ubaldo Cultural Center Friday, May 23, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER) * President of the Saint Ubaldo Society Scott Hall and member of the family of The Family of Sant' Antonio Dave Valvano stand in the Saint Ubaldo Cultural Center as they describe some of the items used during Saint Ubaldo Day in Jessup Friday, May 23, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER) * A few of the first class relics that make up the cultural significance of Saint Ubaldo Day sit in the Saint Ubaldo Cultural Center in Jessup Friday, May 23, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER) * President of the Saint Ubaldo Society Scott Hall points out some of the artifacts that make up the cultural significance of Saint Ubaldo Day in Jessup Friday, May 23, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER) * Shown here is the former cero that was used by The Family of San Giorgio and will be replaced with a new one. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER) * Flags representing the three families are secured to the roof of the Saint Ubaldo Cultural Center in Jessup. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER) Show Caption 1 of 8 Statues from the Family of San Giorgio, Sant'Ubaldo, and Sant'Antonio are presented in the Saint Ubaldo Cultural Center in Jessup. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER) Expand The celebration of St. Ubaldo Baldassini began in Gubbio in the 12th century; Italian immigrants brought the tradition to Jessup in 1909. The tradition had a hiatus in1952 and resumed in 1976, followed by another hiatus from 1990 to 2000. The Family of St. George was the last family to still use a locally made cero, Camoni said. With their new cero — a gift from Gubbio — the family will preserve their previous cero inside the St. Ubaldo Society Cultural Center, 310 Third Ave., Camoni said. 'They generously created and gifted these items to us,' Camoni said. 'It really is best of both worlds. We feel a very personal attachment to everything we use.' The ceri from Gubbio are the same as the ones they use in their race, just smaller, Camoni said, explaining runners in Gubbio don't have to worry about hitting wires like Jessup. The Family of St. Ubaldo and the Family of St. Anthony each received a new cero from Gubbio in previous years, and during last year's St. Ubaldo Day, a large group of attendees from Gubbio saw the Family of St. George's cero and promised to send a new one, he said. 'It just was an amazingly generous gift,' Camoni said. The Lackawanna Energy Center then covered the $2,500 shipping costs from Gubbio to Jessup, he said, lauding the natural gas-fired power plant for its support. Because the statue of St. George is seated on a horse, it's the shortest of the three saints, Camoni said. To offset that, the new cero is slightly taller, bringing it more in line with the others, he said. 'It's going to be beautiful,' he said. 'I can't wait to see the pictures where they're running, and you could see all three in line.' On Saturday, the only non-Gubbio items carried by the runners will be the stangas, or the H-shaped platforms that rest on their shoulders, with the ceri and saint statues on top of them, Camoni said. The entire setup weighs 400 to 500 pounds, he said. Asked whether they would ever use stangas from Gubbio, Camoni pointed to the sentimental value of the generations of runners who have used their current stangas. 'That's the part that actually comes in contact with the ceraioli, the runners, and there's some really good people that are no longer able to touch that,' he said. 'Knowing that they were in contact with that, that one day a year, you get to feel them kind of with you. It's super important.' Both Camoni and St. Ubaldo Society President Scott Hall pointed to other important items from Gubbio used in Jessup, including a large statue of St. Ubaldo that is paraded before the race, which was handcrafted and painted in Gubbio; a relic with a piece of St. Ubaldo's lung, which Hall said is supposed to have a healing effect for those who are sick; and elements of the child-sized version of the race on Sunday called the Ceri Piccoli. Each year, Gubbio also ships Jessup hand-painted vases with the names of each family's captain, or capodieci, Camoni said. In one of St. Ubaldo Day's more compelling scenes, called L'Alzata, or the raising of the saints, team captains toss the water-filled vases into the air, shattering them on the ground before their teams hoist their saints into the air. 'The connection to Gubbio is stronger than ever,' Camoni said. Getting a piece of the vase is supposed to bring good luck for the year, Hall said. At the end of the race, the capocetta, who is selected by the capodiece, uses a hatchet from Gubbio to remove a pin disconnecting the cero from the stanga, Hall said, explaining each family has its own hatchet. Hatchets used in Saint Ubaldo Day that were made in Gubbio, Italy are secured to the wall of the Saint Ubaldo Cultural Center in Jessup. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER) Hall called it a great honor to participate each year and carry on the tradition that came over from Gubbio. 'It's not about one person, one family,' Hall said. 'Rain or shine, the ceri will rise, and we are going to honor St. Ubaldo (Saturday) through the streets of Jessup.' La Festa dei Ceri schedule St. Ubaldo Day festivities begin early Saturday morning, continuing throughout much of the day in Jessup's boroughwide celebration. 6-7:45 a.m.: Drummers will commence at 6 a.m. from the St. Ubaldo Cultural Center, 310 Third Ave., and walk through the town to wake up dignitaries for the day. 7:30-9: The Valley View High School band will process through the town playing music for the community to enjoy. 8-8:30: Those participating in St. Ubaldo Day's events will meet at the top of the hill of St. John's Italian American Cemetery entrance on Primo Saldi Drive for a procession into the cemetery, which begins at 8:05 a.m. The Rev. Andrew Kurovsky will perform a prayer service with a wreath laying in honor of past runners. 8:40-10:15: A breakfast will be hosted by the St. Ubaldo Society at the cultural center for participants and dignitaries, with a flower pinning, or Mazzolino di Fiori, ceremony for runners. 10:30-11: A Mass in honor of St. Ubaldo will be held on the steps of the cultural center. Immediately following Mass – 11:20: All runners are asked to assemble inside of the cultural center to remove all needed artifacts used during the Corsa dei Ceri; the saints will leave the chapel and be placed on a carrier to lead in the procession to the old St. Mary's Church, 517 Third Ave. Immediately following the exit of the saints-11:45: Extended procession of saints, ceri and all runners to the old St. Mary's Church. Noon: L'Alzata, or the raising of the saints, at St. Mary's Church. 12:30 p.m.: Each saint will be paraded through town, stopping at the homes of past runners. 2: All ceri will be placed together on lower Ward Street. 4-4:15: Runners, dignitaries and guests will gather at the St. Ubaldo Society Cultural Center in preparation of the large statue of St. Ubaldo. 4:20 p.m.: The large statue of St. Ubaldo will leave promptly at 4:20 p.m., processing the race route in reverse. The St. Ubaldo Society invites all who wish to carry the large statue to do so respectfully. 5:20: A short run from lower Ward Street to the start of the Corsa dei Ceri. 5:30: La Corsa dei Ceri begins, starting on Powell Avenue and winding through town, ending in Veterans Memorial Field. Following the end of the race, a procession with all artifacts used throughout the day will proceed back to the St. Ubaldo Society Cultural Center. When they arrive, all artifacts will be placed in their resting position until next year, and once the large St. Ubaldo statue is in place, a closing prayer by Kurovsky will take place followed by singing. La Corsa dei Ceri route To follow the race, there will be multiple stops along the route. Stops will be at, in order: 1. Powell Avenue and Ward Street 2. Mylert Street and Short Street 3. Grassy Island Avenue and Ward Street 4. Church Street and Center Street 5. The S-turn at Church Street and Front Street 6. Church Street and Lane Street 7. Church Street and Third Avenue 8. The ceri will then turn to run up Church Street 9. Church Street and Erie Street 10. Erie Street 11. Conclusion at Veterans Memorial Field
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
33rd Annual Jessup Hose Company Number 2 Carnival now underway
JESSUP, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — A longtime Memorial Day tradition kicked off in Lackawanna County this evening. Jessup Hose Company Number Two is hosting its annual carnival as part of the festivities leading up to Saint Ubaldo Day. 28/22 News Reporter Avery Nape was there for the festivities to see how carnival fans are feeling about the big weekend. The 33rd Annual Carnival in Jessup got off to a rainy start, but the spirit of the tradition was plain to see. From rides and carnival games to fried food and a beer tent, the carnival had something for everyone to enjoy. 'It's fun either way if it's raining or not,' Scranton resident Gabriella Kehl said. 'It's so much fun being out here and hanging with the boys,' Chase Jordan from North Pocono told 28/22 News. 'From being younger myself and as an adult now bringing my kids, it's a lot of fun and it brings back a lot of fond memories,' Jessup resident Jamie Hindman stated. The carnival is held each year around Memorial Day, hosted by Jessup Hose Company Number Two. Second Assistant Chief and co-chairman of the carnival, Joe Kozuch, says the event makes up a whopping 40% of the fire company's annual funding. 'Because of this carnival, we've been able to do major improvements. One of the things we improved last year was our rescue tools for vehicle rescues,' Kozuch told 28/22 News. The tools they replaced were from the 90s. He said they are soon hoping to replace one of its firetrucks, also from the 90s. 6K flags to be planted in Scranton to honor fallen But this carnival is more than just a fundraiser, it's a staple of the community and a precursor to Saint Ubaldo Day, a more than 100-year tradition honoring the town's Italian heritage. For Hindman, it's a chance to introduce her kids to a childhood tradition. 'We just moved back to the area after being away for a while, so I wanted to take Ella and Matthew to the carnival to see what it's all about and to support the fire company,' Hindman added. While every Ubaldo Day is special in Jessup, for Hindman and her daughter, there's an extra level of significance. 'It's Ella's first Ubaldo, and so, really excited for that,' Hindman explained. The carnival will be held through Memorial Day. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
