Jessup may be a small quiet borough, but every year on Memorial Day weekend, it blossoms into a celebration of faith, family and tradition during the St. Ubaldo Festival or “Festa dei Ceri.”
Saturday was no exception, as the faithful gathered early in the Midvalley borough, for a day of activities culminating in the “La Corsa dei Ceri,” where participants race through the streets carrying the the “ceri” or wooden pillars dedicated to one of three saints.
The day opened with a special Mass service and then the throwing of hand-painted vases by the captains of three teams, dedicated to Saint Antonio, Saint Giorgio and Saint Ubaldo.
Laurie Marino, Jessup (right), prepares for the St. Ubaldo festival Saturday with Emma Anuszewski and her granddaughter, Francesca Valenzano. (GERI GIBBONS/STAFF PHOTO)
Participants scrambled to pick pieces of the broken vases, which are believed to provide a year of good luck.
The festivities are Jessup’s version of the observance of La Festa dei Ceri in Gubbio, Italy. Italian immigrants brought the tradition of the Corsa dei Ceri, or the running of the saints, from Gubbio to Jessup in the early 1900s.
Genie Lupini, of Jessup, is more than familiar with the day’s activities, having participated for over 60 years.
Lupini, of the Jessup 21st Century Association, even travelled to Gubbio in 2013, especially for their version of the festival.
She pointed out many Italians attend the Gubbio festival in their country, where it has its roots.
But, in Jessup, she said, everyone of every ethnicity and religion comes out for the celebration, with many even travelling hours for the special event.
And, the tradition has been passed down through the generations, with many young people stepping into the roles their parents previously filled.
The most heart-stopping part of the event, she said, is when the runners make their way down a steep hill during the “La Corsa dei Ceri” procession.
Members of Sant’Ubaldo carry his Ceri up Church St. in Jessup during the Saint Ubaldo festivities on Saturday, May 24, 2025. (JASON ARDAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Members of San Giorgio run with the statue of San Giorgio to affix it to their Ceri during the Saint Ubaldo festivities in Jessup on Saturday, May 24, 2025. (JASON ARDAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Participants in the Saint Ubaldo festivities parade through the streets of Jessup with a statue of Sant’Ubaldo, San Giorgio, and Sant’Antonio on Saturday, May 24, 2025. (JASON ARDAN / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Dave Valvano, member of the family of The Family of Sant’ Antonio, and Scott Hall, president of the Saint Ubaldo Society, point out some of the relics that make up the cultural significance of Saint Ubaldo Day in the Saint Ubaldo Cultural Center Friday, May 23, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
The upper level of the Saint Ubaldo Cultural Center where artifacts are kept. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Travelling for tradition
Gina Pascolini and Terri Yanoski both were recently back from this year’s festival in Gubbio.
Pascolini has travelled to Italy for the event four times, always impressed by the solemnity of the event and its continuing sense of tradition.
It’s was Yanoski’s first time making the trip overseas for the event. She was overwhelmed with the sheer number of people attending the event, numbering in the tens-of-thousands.
Pascolini, Valley View High School choral director, was especially proud of the school’s band, which comes out annually to provide a musical backdrop for the event’s festivities.
Music is also a very important part of Gubbio’s event, she said.
Band director Ryan Berry said band members really enjoy the opportunity to participate in the day’s activities, reflecting the event’s appeal to every generation.