Re-membering community: ritual exchange in Williamsburg’s questua

Abstract

The questua is one of the several processions in the neighbourhoods of Greenspoint/Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and falls into the category of performance known as a façade performance. This procession is embedded within the festa, a series of cultural events that draws former residents of the neighbourhood, annual visitors and newcomers to the parish of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. It includes the coronation Mass on the opening of the nine-day novena to the patron saint of the parish, and culminates in a procession with a statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel on her feast day of July 16. The questua, or bread distribution, takes place on the Saturday before the giglio (a tall, hand-crafted, tower-like structure) procession and includes long-time parish members and newcomers. The questua contrasts with the visual allure of the dancing of the giglio, and other religious processions during the festa. Community members use ritual food exchange to connect with the parish’s history of serving Italian immigrants and also to re-member the community by creating new associations. This paper offers a description and an interpretation of the festival using a combination field work and theoretical perspective.