Longtime Hazleton tradition returns for 127th edition

HAZLETON – A Hazleton tradition dating back well over a century returned to the hills of the city’s northeast over the weekend.

The Madonna del Monte procession kicked off at the Most Precious Blood Church at 4th and Seybert streets in the city on Sunday morning.

It’s an Italian tradition that came to the United States and Hazleton in particular with immigrants in the late 19th and early 20th Century, specifically from the Cilento region.

Over 100 people took part in a procession accompanying a float that carried statues of the Blessed Mother, Madonna del Monte, and Saints Mauro, Nazarius, and Aniello.

Numerous families carried Cintas through the parade as well, many of which were adorned with memorials to loved ones. Many, too, of those families wore matching shirts for the occasion.

The procession made its way along nondescript streets near the church, led by Hazleton Fire Chief Donald Leshko and the Not Your Average Joes Marching Band, whose support car was adorned with Italian flare.

It wasn’t long before the procession effectively made its way into Hazleton’s own “Little Italy” as the country’s flag adorned utility poles and pennants hung over the streets. The Italian Flag was also painted in the middle of 2nd Street where parties were taking place nearby for the occasion.

The procession is the culmination of a feast weekend for the Italian Catholic faithful which included a festival adjacent to Most Precious Blood Church.

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The article Longtime Hazleton tradition returns for 127th edition first appeared on The Shenandoah Sentinel.