Cosmas & Damien 2008 (You're Caught Up: 11 of 11)

When I moved to Boston, I got an apartment in the quiet neighborhood of East Cambridge. Most of its residents are elderly Italian and Portuguese-Americans. Though Boston's North End is famed for its Italian festivals honoring Roman Catholic saints, East Cambridge celebrates (for 82 consecutive years) a cultural jewel of a holiday... The Italian Festival of the Healing honoring saints Cosmas and Damien.

My affinity to this festival originates from its similarity to the block parties I used to attend as a child with my grandmother in Shamokin, PA. There's incredible authentic food, a out of tune marching band that follows a procession, carnival games, and curious rituals like pinning money on the saints for good luck.

The Italian immigrants that began settling in my neighborhood in the early years of the 20th century were predominantly seaside dwelling fishermen from Gaeta, Italy. In Cambridge, they became landlocked meat packers. In an attempt to retain a piece of their cultural identity, a group of 100 East Cambridge residents established the Society of Saints Cosmas and Damien, the patron saints of Gaeta.

Walking around East Cambridge's streets during the celebration it becomes clear that the future of the festival is uncertain. Its organizers and attendees are almost entirely over the age of 60; and anyone under the age of 40 that you can find at the festival are peeping gentrifies like myself.
Saint Alfo's Band from Lawrence, MA plays many of the Italian festivals throughout Massachusetts.


If you sleep in on Saturday on the feast of Saints Cosmas & Damien, there's a good chance that your alarm clock will be the "oompa oompa" of St Alfio's band marching down the street outside your window. Above, the band prepares to process and a playful band member pretends to attack a festival onlooker with his tuba bell.