Craigville 150th Anniversary
Stella Maris Kayak Procession
Stella Maris Kayak Procession
Friday, August 5, 2022
7pm, Lake Elizabeth
With purposeful alliteration, a parade of paddlers, accompanied by Pavarotti and Puccini, provided a powerful and pleasing performance for people polishing off Prosecco, pizza, pizzelle, polpette, pane, and prosciutto in celebration of Stella Maris, a traditional festival from Italy celebrating the Virgin Mary as the protectress of seafarers. (By the way, pizzelle are lovely light Italian cookies, polpette are meatballs, and pane is bread).
The evening began with Italian music, snacks, and drinks on Lake Elizabeth Drive, a portion of which had been closed to traffic for the event. After brief remarks by Patricia Deyton, President of the Red Lily Pond Project Association, Msgr. John Perry of Our Lady of Victory Church provided an invocation, linking the celebration with the light brought into the world by Jesus Christ (“stella maris” means “star of the sea” in Latin).
Then, 15 kayaks and canoes took to the water in procession, circumventing the lake and executing an imperfect Figure 8.
The playlists for the music before and during the procession are linked here:
The procession was greeted with applause, and, afterwards, pleas to do it again next year!
Stella Maris kayak procession in Cragville August 2022.
Procession of kayaks and canoes, sporting lights on their bows, in our beloved Lake Elizabeth, with Italian music wafting over the waters.
History of Stella Maris
In the small Italian port town of Camogli, Stella Maris, one of the dearest festivities to the locals, is celebrated on the first Sunday in August. The first Friday in August, as in Camogli two days later, the Red Lily Pond Project will sponsor a solemn procession of kayaks and canoes, sporting lights on their bows, in our beloved Lake Elizabeth, with Italian music (Puccini or Pavarotti, or both) wafting over the waters, and with Prosecco, prosciutto, and perhaps pepperoni, pancetta, and some other Italian treats available along Lake Elizabeth Drive for onlookers. No fees will be charged for the event.
In Camogli, the festival dates back to the 15th century and is dedicated to the "Stella di Mare", the title by which fishermen venerate the Madonna. Translated literally, stella maris means “the Star of the Sea.”
Photo: Stella Maris in Camogli, Italy
(photo on town tourist webpage)