Saint Joseph Altars

Rating:
Summary: St. Joseph Altars
Review: A beautiful book with super pictures. If you cannot come to New Orleans to see the St. Joseph Altars in person, then at least buy the book and enjoy the pictures. The Feast of St. Joseph is on March 19th.

Rating:
Summary: A Vivid Reminder
Review: Growing up in a Sicilian family in the 50's, the St Jospeh Altar was a labor of love for my parents. I can recall the women gathered around the kitchen table with their own special paring knives for making cookies and secret recipes for the traditional dishes of their homeland. The photographs are a vivid reminder of those tables laden with so many pastries with the strange sounding names.

Although this book is seen from the celebrations in New Orleans, it still captures the story of the St Joseph Altar with the prayers and rituals of the occassion. I can still hear the beautiful sung Litany of St Joseph translated into English in this book, and taste the crunch of "mudica" (toasted breadcrumbs)on the pasta. This book would be a treasure to hand down to your children as you tell them of their grandparents and great-grandparents or as a gift for anyons who remembers San Guiseppe's feast day. It is a scrapbook of a time past for most Sicilian familes who have blended into the cultural melting pot, and a reminder of a heritage that should be kept alive for future generations.