A raucous celebration of Italian-American culture
- Text by Sean Martin
- Photography by Sean Martin
Although I now spend my days baking in the hot sun in Southern California, surrounded by beachside bungalows and palm trees, my heart yearns for the raw jagged coastline of New England.
As a native of Gloucester Massachusetts, I felt it was time to travel east and photograph an annual event that is fundamental to the city’s cultural identity. Every summer for the past 91 years, Gloucester has honoured its Italian heritage with Saint Peter’s Fiesta – a weeklong celebration of drinking, carnival games and sports.
The premiere event of Fiesta is a competition called the Greasy Pole. An invited group of Italian-American men from the city’s prominent fishing families compete by running across a horizontal pole covered in grease, suspended over Gloucester Harbour. The objective is to grab an Italian flag hanging at the end without breaking bones or drowning. The runners are all fueled by drunken courage and the first man to grab the flag in each heat wins. The winners are carried ashore as the crowd cries out “Viva San Pietro!”
Gloucester is a historic maritime city on Cape Ann Massachusetts. The area was settled in the early 17th century by English farmers, quarrymen and outcasts living on the edge of civilisation. As the Industrial Revolution began to take hold, Italian immigrants migrated to Gloucester to man the growing commercial fishing industry that was now feeding people across the country.
To this day, many of those same Italian-American families control the Gloucester fishing industry and they are all fiercely proud of their cultural heritage. It is the sons of these families who compete in the Fiesta games.
See more of Sean Martin’s work on his official website, or follow him on Instagram.
Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
Latest on Huck
Three decades behind the scenes of the music industry
Eddie Otchere’s ‘Spirit Behind the Lens’ is a story of music and culture that crosses and transcends borders.
Written by: Isaac Muk
Barry Keoghan, Franz Rogowski and Andrea Arnold on ‘Bird’
The new issue of Little White Lies brings Andrea Arnold’s sixth feature to life with a thematic voyage down the Thames estuary.
Written by: Maisy Hunter
“A party is a microcosm of a nation”: Caleb Femi on the decline of the house party
To celebrate the publication of his new collection ‘The Wickedest’, Isaac Muk caught up with Femi to talk more about the work, the future of the shoobs, and discuss why having it large on a Saturday night should be cherished.
Written by: Isaac Muk
Celebrating 20 years of The Mighty Boosh
A new exhibition takes a look behind the scenes of the iconic show two decades after its BBC3 premiere.
Written by: Isaac Muk
We Run Mountains: Black Trail Runners tackle Infinite Trails
Soaking up the altitude and adrenaline at Europe’s flagship trail running event, high in the Austrian Alps, with three rising British runners of colour.
Written by: Phil Young
The organisation levelling the playing field in the music industry
Founded in 2022, The Name Game is committed to helping female, non-binary and trans people navigate the industry.
Written by: Djené Kaba