Sunday night a group of us met up at Meg's place in the North End and then ventured into the mess -- food and drink and trinket stands lining the streets -- that was the Santa Maria festival.
Laura and I got rice balls with marinara sauce, which is apparently actually an Italian thing (verified by Roberta) much to our surprise. Mike got his face painted like a cross between KISS and a dog (it was supposed to be just a dog). And we watched the spectacle of the young yelling Italian girls on balconies, singing the praises of Santa Maria as strings of dollar bills were wrapped around her shrine being carried through the streets. This all culminated with the harnessed girl floating across the street suspended 40 feet in the air, chanting more praise for Santa Maria and she was repelled down to near-street level to kiss the statue and then back up to the balcony.
If only Americans had more random festivals of this sort, it was pretty hilarious.
Laura and I got rice balls with marinara sauce, which is apparently actually an Italian thing (verified by Roberta) much to our surprise. Mike got his face painted like a cross between KISS and a dog (it was supposed to be just a dog). And we watched the spectacle of the young yelling Italian girls on balconies, singing the praises of Santa Maria as strings of dollar bills were wrapped around her shrine being carried through the streets. This all culminated with the harnessed girl floating across the street suspended 40 feet in the air, chanting more praise for Santa Maria and she was repelled down to near-street level to kiss the statue and then back up to the balcony.
If only Americans had more random festivals of this sort, it was pretty hilarious.
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