Local leaders and dozens of Italian Americans gathered at Niagara Square on Friday for a flag raising outside City Hall to kick off Italian Heritage Month in Buffalo.
The tradition started in 1989 as a way to celebrate and preserve the Italian culture in Western New York.
Peter LoJacono, president of the Federation of Italian American Societies of Western New York, said these yearly traditions are important to honor the Italian culture.
"We want to keep our culture alive; we want to keep our identity; we want to keep our traditions, and we want to keep them strong, and so we do everything we can to do that, and for us, especially for members of the federation, it's not just for the month or for a day; it's all year long," he said.
The event featured over 20 members of the community lining up holding various Italian flags that represented the unique and diverse Italian culture.
"Each flag was a region of Italy. Just like the United States has 50 states, Italy has 20 regions," LoJacono said. "The 20 regions in Italy are very different and unique, each one its own. So, whether you're talking about the scenery, the climate, the people, the culture, even the language, the dialect of Italian that's spoken is different as you go from region to region."
Buffalonians of Italian heritage are predominantly southern Italian, with a lot of Sicilians, a lot of people from Calabria, but mostly from southern Italy. LoJacono added that Buffalo does have people from northern Italy, but the south is the majority represented.
Some of the events this month include a federation gala Oct. 17 at Classics Five in Amherst, and an Italian Heritage Parade Oct. 18 along Hertel Avenue in North Buffalo.
Additional events have been planned by federation clubs, organizations, and the Italian Cultural Center.
