What was the holy day being ...
Question: What was the holy day being celebrated in the Godfather movie where people pinned money on a statue in the parade?
Answer: The scene you're describing is in The Godfather, Part II (1974), and takes place at the festival of San Gennaro. In Italy, towns and cities traditionally celebrated the feast days of patron saints with masses, religious processions — often involving life-size statues of the saint — donations to the Church and communal meals. Saint Gennaro, a bishop martyred in 305, is the patron saint of Naples. His feast day is Sept. 19 and the Italian immigrants (heavy on the Neapolitans) who settled in the New York City neighborhood in such numbers that it became known as Little Italy, brought the custom with them. The San Gennaro festival still takes place annually — 2005 was the 78th year — though it has become a very touristy event that's more about cannoli-eating contests and Italian sausage sandwiches than pious observance.
