| Issue #26, September 22, 2006 |
When In Manhattan by Oliver Peterson
Welcome Back: Autumn and Ethnic Diversity
After what has been a long and very busy summer, with little contribution to this fine paper, I’m pleased to return for my fourth season writing this column. In the past I’ve taken this space to gripe about the travails of enduring the oppressive months between Memorial and Labor Days, but there’s too much to cover for this first weekend back. Hopefully you followed my advice and got into the city during my hiatus, but if you were as busy as I was out here, it might not have happened. We’ve had almost three weeks to breathe since the end of summer. A helicopter is probably out of the question, so it’s time to hop on the train, the Jitney, the Luxury Liner, or fill up your tank with overpriced gas. I’m here to give you ideas, facts, thoughts and destinations When in Manhattan.
This Saturday marks the Fall Equinox, when the night and day are of equal length. The first day of autumn seems an appropriate time to begin my seasonal column and to introduce a collection of events that have a cultural and ethnic balance akin to that of the equally shared hours of the sun and moon. The Fall Equinox is the main harvest festival of the Wiccan calendar, but it happens to land on some major holidays of more mainstream religions. Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, begins on Saturday and goes through Yom Kippur on Monday, October 2nd. Rosh Hashanah is a joyous celebration and Manhattan is ready for the festivities. In 1654, New York became the first city in North America to honor the High Holy Day. However, it didn’t come without some difficulties. Peter Stuyvesant, the Dutch governor of New York at the time, petitioned to have the Jewish “blasphemers” expelled from the city. Fortunately, the Dutch West India Company brought the fact that he was not running a “religious establishment,” but a “business colony” to Stuyvesant’s attention. For “the sake of business,” Jews were not to be turned away. While this day’s roots are ugly, were it not for this sad reasoning, an important segment of New York’s multicultural landscape may not be what it is today.
The famously glamorous Waldorf Astoria will be hosting services and continuing its celebration with dinner at Zagat’s top-rated Glatt Kosher restaurant, The Prime Grill, at 60 E. 49th St (212-692-9292). The steak and seafood menu, which includes sushi, is outstanding and elegant kosher fare that stands above the standard pastrami and rye. Day meals and more services are scheduled for Chabad of Midtown. The Waldorf’s program promises to enrich participants with further insight into High Holiday traditions and customs. Call (212) 972-0770 for reservations and info. On Wednesdays, through April 25, the 92nd Street Y at Lexington Ave. is offering a weekly Israeli Folk-Dance Party with a brief lesson followed by open dancing and advanced instruction.
Depending on where you check, Ramadan, the Muslim month of blessing honored by prayer, fasting, and charity begins on the same day as Rosh Hashanah – Sept. 23rd or the 24th. During this ninth month of the Islamic calendar Muslims believe Allah revealed the first verses of the Qur’an, the holy book of Islam. The faithful adopt an increased sense of generosity and gratitude that already color the true religion. Muslim New Yorkers spend the month communing with one another and sharing good spirit. The area of the city around Lexington and 28th has been called the “Muslim Indo-Pak strip” for its group of food marts, restaurants, halal meat shops and video stores, and has become a pit stop for the many Muslim cabbies cruising the city. During Ramadan the strip is congested with yellow cars and drivers enjoying the sense of community and home that is only natural to want during the holidays. This is the time to get to know and understand your neighbors.
Last but not least, Sunday is the final day of Little Italy’s 78th Annual Feast of San Gennaro – Sept. 14-24th. The Italian Catholic celebration of the Patron Saint of Naples, martyred for the faith in 305 A.D., has been a tradition along Mulberry Street since 1926. The feast, brought by immigrants from Naples, consists of a carnival-style street fair rich with food and drink. The 19th is the most religious day featuring a holy procession and mass at the Most Precious Blood Church on Mulberry Street. A parade runs Saturday at 2 p.m. Expect floats, bands, and the statue of San Gennaro carried through the streets. Don’t forget to eat some delicious sausage and peppers and, my favorite, Zeppoles – a sinful fried dough and powdered sugar treat you can eat in the name of the Lord.
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