On March 19th,Italy will celebrate the Feast of Saint Joseph, or La Festa di San Giuseppe. It also serves as a Father's Day celebration. St. Joseph was declared the patron saint of the Universal Church by Pope Pius IX in 1870.

The origin dates back to when there was a terrible drought in Sicily. The people prayed to St. Joseph, asking him to bring rain. When the rains came, the people celebrated and prepared a large feast to thank him. Large tables of food were prepared in public and crowds of people gathered to celebrate and feast, alongside with the poor people.

Current St. Joseph's Day tradition in Italy
It is customary to donate food to the needy as was done in the original feast and also customary to wear red.

Culinary Delights
Zeppole (pictured below) is the most popular St. Joseph's Day Feast. It is made by making a fried pastry shell and inserting ricotta filling (similar to what is found inside a cannoli). It can also be filled with vanilla or chocolate. St. Joseph's cream puffs, or Sfinge di San Giuseppe can usually be found at any Italian bakery during the month of March.