Solopaca's Madonna Del Roseto Tradition




Bringing the Madonna down from the Mountain Church....

The first Sunday in June is a time for my family to remember their Italian heritage. My husband's mother's family came from Solopaca, Italy, where they have had a Madonna Del Roseto procession and celebration for decades.





Immigrants from Italy to America still honor this tradition and have a replica statue and their own Madonna Del Roseto celebration here every year, not far from where we live. Families come from many states to reconnect with their "Solopachesi."

When my children have made their First Holy Communions, Grandmom arranges for them to be the crowner of the Madonna at the Mass. After Mass the statue of Mary holding baby Jesus is paraded around the church. Then the families all meet at a banquet hall for a meal and dancing.

Here's a video from years ago with my daughter dancing to Italian music with her Father at the after party.

Here is our statue. The baby Jesus could use a haircut! And here is a "crowning" from a few years back.




Below is my daughter with "Mr. Tickets" who calls out the auction winners of the gift baskets that the organizers create. It's a highlight of the evening to hear the banter that comes from this adorable gentleman! He's of the same family name as Padre Pio.
And this is my Mother-in-law, whose mother came from the village. We are so proud to join her every year and honor our dear "Nan" and heritage.

"Grazie per tutto. Tutto era molto buono!"


10 comments:

Mom2Seven said...

What a rich and great heritage! Loved the video! +JMJ+

Allison said...

THanks, Annita. You always are so kind.

Going to make a Father's Day cake and was thinking of you since your profile says you like to decorate cakes. You need a blog so I can see them and learn from you! :)

Mom2Seven said...

I am not sure that I am quite interesting or witty enough to have my own blog! ;) But, I certainly enjoy visiting those who share my faith and choose to homeschool their children. Despite being a seasoned homeschooler, I have learned a lot from the blog-o-sphere!

As far as cake decorating, I really just like to play around. Sometimes I will cut the cake into shapes or use pans in different shapes... mostly, though, I like to use small toys, statues (obviously, I wash them first), candy, bows, buttons, & ribbons (again, I make sure everything is clean!), etc. Quite often, after pictures are taken, I have to carefully disassemble the cake before cutting into it! I just like the presentation and the look on a child's face! Also, The Cake Doctor books are excellent for baking a "homemade from scratch-tasting" cake from a cake mix!

Have a safe and happy weekend! God bless...

Laura O in AK said...

It is the celebrations like this one that make life so special and keep the heritage alive. I missed out on my mom's Italian heritage as we lived so far from her family. And, now, I'm far, far away from family!

Melissa said...

What a beautiful and fun tradition. One of our churches that used to be where all the Italians went holds a similar event each year, but it's for the patron saint of a certain village where many Italians in the area came from.
I recently discovered (in an old box under our stairs - our house has been in the family for 90 yrs) many old pictures of villagers & religious processions from that small Italian village which is actually where my husband's family originated from. I framed them all and have them hanging in our home as a reminder to my children of their heritage & faith.
Visitors who don't know the family history always find them interesting to look at.

Allison said...

I bleieve that to be so true Laura O and Melissa, what a find!

I would consider that a treasure. Have you blogged about it? I'd love to see it.

Sindarin said...

Hi, i'm from Solopaca, but now i live in Florence, but when i was more young that now, every year i use to go on the "ROSETO MOUNTAIN" to visit "MADONNA DEL ROSETO"
your blog is to nice!!!

Corey Raieta said...

Are the black and white photos you posted from a family collection? My grandfather (also from Solopaca) is in the second one down. It was great to stumble across a photo of him from so long ago!

Allison said...

Hi Corey!

Which picture...can you describe the one as I would love to know. Raieta is one of our family names!

Unknown said...

Hi Alison,
Hi Corey,
My Mom is Cecilia nee Raieta born in Solopaca. The face of the gentlemen on the far left on the black and white photo infront of the church seems familiar. Did you mean him Corey? We are going to visit Solopaca next week but we have no more Family left there. Not sure if Corey's Family and mine are related...?
Kind regards, Jennifer Buhler

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