LI Cuture Post

Italian Christmas Tradition in Westbury

Posted December 24, 2009 by Patrick Young, Esq.

I wrote about the wonderful Italian Christmas traditions in Westbury last year. I though I would share that story of faith and joy again. In the midst of some terrible hatred, we need to remember that most of us are good neighbors and that most Long Islanders are gladdened by the rich culture that is being built here. Here is a bit of that flavor from my own home town:
As an immigration law professor, I like my students to understand immigration beyond the confines of the legal system. Laws can be very abstract and mechanical, and students can sometimes lose sight of the people impacted by them. I often recommend immigrant festivals and cultural events for them to attend. Today I recall a “class trip” I took with my Political Asylum Clinic students last Christmas.
I grew up in an Italian neighborhood in Westbury and I learned to appreciate the culture my neighbors brought with them from Sicily, Naples, and Calabria. I remember going to the barber as a boy and hearing what I called “Italian music” on the old phonograph player. I later learned it was opera by Verde. Cannoli sweetened my visits to my friend’s houses and I looked forward to March when special zeppolis emerged from the ovens in honor of St. Patrick (or was it San Guissepe?).
So I of course wanted to show my class the well-known percepio at St. Brigid’s Church in Westbury. Now I always have some foreign born students from places like China and India and of course some students are not Christians, but I was surprised when the American Christians among them told me they didn’t even know what a percepio is!
Holy mackerel! Is that possible?
It is if you grow up in some benighted part of the world lacking in Italians.
The percepio is an Italian tradition dating back to the time of St. Francis. Its poor cousin is the Christmas manger sitting on top of my house. But the percepio focuses not solely on the newborn Jesus, but on the world he came into. The Italians use a truly Catholic imagination in designing percepios of amazing fancy. I have seen pictures of one in which the Christmas story is told against a setting in an Eskimo village, and others set in an exotic past.
The St. Brigid’s percepio represents the journey of Mary and Joseph from Westbury, through 18th Century Italy, and to a Bethlehem that is adrift in time. Many of the people along the way are oblivious to the miraculous purpose of the migrants passing them by, but some flock to the message of peace and hope represented by Christmas.
The percepio ends with people from all nations joining together under a tree flocked with angels. Like the people of the parish that treasures it, the figures in the percepio give no pride of place based on race or nationality. And no one asks for documents!
If you’ve never seen a percepio, stop by the church. It’s located at 50 Post Ave. in Westbury. It is open every day and is free. The percepio is to the left of the altar as you walk in.
Many of the people who view the percepio are, like my students, not Italians or Catholics, but they all appreciate the gifts we each bring to America.

Tags : christmas, traditions

Comments

More LI Culture

Media Mentions