Columbus Day a New York

This year our Firlinfeu folk group “La Brianzola” participated in the Columbus Day Parade, organized by the Columbus Citizens Foundation, which every year takes place on the famous Fifth Avenue in the center of New York City. The event celebrates the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus on October 12, 1492,. This was a moving and unforgettable experience for us, as well as a great success.

The group, composed of 30 players and dancers, departed Milano-Malpensa Airport on the morning of Saturday, October 6. The chairman and I, deputy chairman, accompanied the group. Thanks to Lombardy Regional Council, architect Romualdo Massironi and Professor Ettore A Albertoni, we could participate in the celebrations of Columbus Day and represent our region. Architect Romualdo Massironi is the chairman of the Association “Lombardy Traditions and Folk Cultures,” and for several years has collaborated with the Culture, Identity and Self-Governance Department. He also collaborates with Professor Ettore A Albertoni, Chairman of Lombardy Regional Council, who has played a significant role in the organization of cultural events aiming to recover and valorise our region’s folklore and popular traditions.

When we got to New York, we stayed in the centre of Manhattan, next to Times Square, so on Sunday we visited all the stunning monuments and places in the surrounding area: Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, Ground Zero, Central Park, etc.

On Monday, the 8th, after a couple of hours taking pictures and getting acquainted with many Italo-Americans, we entered Fifth Avenue, at the intersection of 47th Street, and we marched on parade for two hours along this mythic avenue with crowds on both sides of us shouting, clapping, smiling and waving Italian flags, to celebrate the passing of our company and our parade float.

Many artists joined the Parade: bands, flag corps, majorettes, clowns, jugglers; army corps with their cars and motorcycles, mostly Italo-American, entering Fifth Avenue on colourful and original parade floats from the side streets, in close formation. Our group had the honour of opening the Parade, followed by the band of the small town of Crenna di Gallarate and the parade float of the Lombardy Region, displaying a beautiful picture of Lake Como’s two branches, the Italian and Lombardy flags, some local wooden handicrafts and the symbol of our county, the “rosa camuna”.

We marched on parade up to 79th Street, together with the Lombard delegation, then we received a storm of applause as we left the procession. Finally we passed in front of the grandstand where the local network, CNBN, was shooting the event. The Parade was a unique, indescribable, unforgettable experience, especially the moment when we entered Fifth Avenue: we saw millions of jubilant people on both sides of the street.

We were very proud to represent our motherland in such an important place, to play our “firlinfeu” and our music along the legendary Fifth Avenue in New York, proclaiming the beauty of our group, instruments and traditional costumes. We surely made a lasting impression, as we spread knowledge and recognition of the ancient and genuine folklore of our region, the Brianza.