St. Joseph Altar, Feeding of the Saints
Family members begin the Feeding of the Saints in front of the Landry family's St. Joseph altar, 1984.The Saints' Table is set for as many saints as promised; in this case St. Jude was included with the obligatory Mary, Joseph, and Jesus.
Large numbers of Italians came to Baton Rouge around the turn of the century. One of the most distinctive folk traditions that they brought with them is the St. Joseph altar. St. Joseph, the patron saint of Sicily, is described as a hard worker who did not seek prestige or reward. A person promises to make an altar if a favor is granted. The favor usually concerns a life or death situation, or asking the return of a son from a war.
An altar can be promised in any way at any time to any saint, but most commonly a person promises to make an altar on or near St. Joseph's Day, March 19. Most people promise to pay for the altars' construction themselves. To promise to beg for all of the food, however, is considered an even larger sacrifice. Some families in Baton Rouge have made altars annually for the past thirty or forty years, while others make them every five years. For smaller favors granted, people promise to contribute to someone else's altar. Thus, the person who promises not to solicit donations cannot refuse voluntary donations. To do so would deny someone else the opportunity to fulfill a promise to St. Joseph (see also Customs, Traditions, and Folklore of a Rural Southern Italian-American Community).
Until the 1950s and 1960s, the tradition of making altars was very strong in Baton Rouge. But in the late 1960s and 1970s, only a handful of altars was made. In 1978, the Grandsons of Italy began building a community altar to revive the tradition and stimulate ethnic pride among the young people. The altar of the Grandsons of Italy has a different purpose than the family altars. In order to promote public awareness and encourage large numbers of people to participate, the altar is a group effort without any individual cause. Much larger than a family altar, these community efforts feed approximately 3,000 people. The fresh fruit and vegetables are given to local charities. The community participates, the bishop performs mass, and political leaders attend. But the altar itself has all the elements of a home altar, such as cookies and breads in traditional shapes.
The Grandsons of Italy have succeeded in stopping the tradition from dying. Every year more and more families are making their own altars in the traditional manner, for traditional reasons. They are aided and encouraged by older people in the community who are familiar with the procedure and customs.
Just as the tradition spread from Sicily to other parts of Italy and the United States, the tradition is spreading among non-Sicilian Catholics in Baton Rouge. Catholics of all backgrounds, including Blacks, are making altars today.
Bootie and Leroy Landry made a family altar in 1984 because they both had cancer. Bootie, who is half-Italian, was not doing well after chemotherapy and a friend suggested promising an altar to St. Joseph. Bootie said, "I wouldn't know how to begin . . . and she said, ‘Don't you worry about it. [We] will get together and we'll all help you. You can have that [altar]. You offer it up to Jesus, Mary, and Joseph and they'll help you.’"
The tiered altar was covered with white cloth at one end of a room from floor to ceiling. In front of the altar was the Saint's Table, which had place settings for as many saints as promised. An altar has at least Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, but some have had as many as eight to twelve saints. In the room stood a table with St. Joseph prayer cards and fava beans. Both are for good luck and are carried in a purse or wallet throughout the year.
Since St. Joseph's Day falls during the Lenten season, all types of foods except meat were prepared for the altar. Fresh flowers, St. Joseph candles, a statue of the saint, and decorations such as hand-painted eggs were interspersed between fresh fruits and vegetables, cooked vegetables, desserts, seafood, and breads.
Several traditional items were included. Centered on the altar was a picture of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph with lilies beside it. Six fig cakes--in the shape of the crucifix, the staff of St. Joseph, the bleeding heart of Jesus, the chalice for communion, the ceborium holding the host, and the palm--were prominently displayed. Breads in the shape of the letters J (Jesus), M (Mary), and J (Joseph), and wreaths for each saint were obligatorily included. Cakes were decorated with praying hands, as open Bibles, lambs, or crucifixes. Other sweets included were Italian cookies, candies, pies, and pastries. Savory dishes such as stuffed peppers, artichokes, eggplants, fritters, quiche, and fried catfish also appeared.
The Saints' table is set for as many saints as promised; in this case St. Jude was included with the obligatory Mary, Joseph, and Jesus. A large redfish, wine, water, and baskets carved from oranges were on the table. A priest came to bless the finished altar the evening before, and afterwards visitors came to view the altar. Cookies and wine were served, but nothing was taken from the altar until after the Saints' Meal the next day. In the past, the family and visitors would pray and sing all night, but this practice has been largely discontinued by many families. Bishop Stanley Ott heard about this altar and surprised the Landrys by coming to bless the altar himself.
--Maida Owens, from the publication, Folklife in the Florida Parishes
North Louisiana (includes Florida Parishes)
Italian
Photo: Maida Owens
