SPRINGFIELD — An Italian holiday tradition is coming to the city’s South End.
From Sicily to Naples, “Mercatino di Natale,” or Christmas Markets, bring craft vendors, food stalls selling traditional Italian sweets, and other holiday fare to Italy’s bustling cities.
The Springfield Sons and Daughters of Italy are bringing their own “Mercatino di Natale” to Winthrop Street for three days, beginning on Friday and running until Sunday. The festival, which is free and open to all, will be held entirely outdoors, just like an Italian market.
”It’s a tradition that goes back thousands of years. Influenced by that, we said, ‘Let’s bring a little piece of that to Springfield to showcase not only what it means to celebrate Christmas as Italians, but also to celebrate our own neighborhood in the South End,’” said Salvatore Circosta, president of the Sons and Daughters of Italy Springfield chapter.
The outdoor market will showcase Italian culture through vendor stalls selling everything from cannoli to specialty hot chocolates. The Sons and Daughters of Italy have secured a liquor license for the weekend, so Christmas-themed cocktails will be available for adults, as well.
Circosta was eager to speak of torrone, a hard nougat candy from Italy with almonds and hazelnuts inside. You practically have to chisel it open with a hammer, Circosta said, so the market will be paying its own Italian homage to “chestnuts roasting on an open fire.”
“We ordered 5 kilos of (torrone) from Italy, and we just brought it back about a week ago,” he said.
The festival opens on Friday at 5:30 p.m. with a tree lighting ceremony, which will feature Mayor Domenic J. Sarno and community leaders. The Rev. Paolo Bagattini, of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, will give blessings and welcome the crowd. The live music, hot chocolate bar, and vendors will be open until 10 p.m.
On Saturday, festival hours are from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Families will get to enjoy photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus, live music and youth activities, Italian street food specialties, a hot chocolate bar, a Christmas-themed bar, and more.
On Sunday, hours are from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The highlight of the day will be a living Nativity presented by the St. Carlo Acutis Youth Group of the Sons and Daughters of Italy at 6 p.m. Real animals, including camels, donkeys, cows and goats, will be present.
All events will be held outdoors, rain or shine, with Circosta assuring that there will be plenty of tents and heaters.
“We’re New Englanders, we can handle the cold a little bit,” he said. “It’ll help us sell a few more hot chocolates, I hope.”
It’s no coincidence that the festival is being held on Winthrop Street, a South End neighborhood that has long been the central hub for Springfield’s Italian residents.
From La Fiorentina Pastry Shop to Mom and Rico’s Specialty Market, and the Sons and Daughters of Italy’s own club, Casa Italiana, plenty of Italian businesses are centered around what Circosta calls “the cornerstone of our community” — Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church.
“This is what they used to call ‘the watering hole’ for the Italian community, where everyone gathers to get their coffee, to go to Mass, to get their Italian specialty products,” Circosta said. “And here at the club, to have some good social time with all generations.”