...Wait....
Church Picnic... If I tranlsate this in italian, it would mean many things...
If you mean an oppurtunity to stay togheter for a whole day, well here people do it very often (= Ritrovo spirituale). Children on sunday before the communions do it, to stay togher with body and spirit (=Ritiro Spirituale).
The parishes also organise those meetings not necessarely in the churhc court (=oratorio), but often away from town... generally on mountain.
Many other things exist in which the parish organisement is busy...trips(specila for seniors), beneficience desks, meetings...
The procession, you called? Did we invented ourselves... here everywhere, every cities, every town, even each district has its patron, and when it comes the time to get his/her statue along the streets, many people led by a priest go following the procession (very very often bearfoot!), prying and singing... In Abruzzo (middleItaly), think that a saint are brought along the street full of snakes on the statue... AMAZING BUT TERRIBLE!!!
The procession is always the end of the Feast... generally it takes one week, in which the parish with the the local government, organise playing for children, fairs with traditional local products, every events that make people form outside to come and partecipate.
And that's all... I think...
Have you ever been here during a Feast like that? I think It mithg seems like the San Gennaro one in LittleItaly in NY...but here it's not among the skyscrapers...

))
Toggle - I can't understand why abroad Pope is so hated...I know that I was born here, and I lived under the influence of the restrictive catholic education, but honstly I have never had any problem with him... I mean, it seems that so far you feel more the influence of the Pope, thinking that he could compromise your freedome more than how he could do here with us so near...It makes non sense...
I don't want absolutely to apologize nobody beahaviour but at end the Pope it's only a figure... the figure of the Christian's Unity... no more...
Oh...indeed? I didn't ever paid attention to the crossing yourself... I've always did it like my mother taught me... my father once said me that Orthodossic cross themselves differently...but I haven't ever understood how...Thanks Steve
Bye
Diomede