Why Italians Pin Money to the Statues of Saints

Large crowds gather around San Gerardo Maiella
at St. Lucy's Church in Newark, New Jersey

During many traditional Italian feast days, especially in Southern Italy and old Italian-American neighborhoods, it is common to see dollar bills pinned to ribbons, garments, or platforms surrounding the statue of a saint carried in procession through the streets.

To outsiders, the custom may appear unusual, but its meaning is deeply devotional and communal.

The practice is rooted in the old Catholic tradition of the ex voto—an offering made in gratitude for prayers believed to have been answered. A family might pin money or jewelry to the statue after recovering from illness, surviving hardship, returning safely from war, finding work, or receiving another blessing through the intercession of a patron saint.

Examples can still be seen at the Feasts of San Rocco di Potenza in
Little Italy, New York, San Gerardo Maiella in Newark, New
Jersey, and Santa Agrippina in Boston's North End

The offering is also an act of love and respect. In many Italian communities, the patron saint is regarded not as a distant symbol, but as a heavenly protector bound to the life and memory of the people themselves. During the feast, the saint is welcomed almost like a returning sovereign or beloved member of the community.

These gifts help support the church, the procession, musicians, fireworks, charitable works, and the continuation of the feast for future generations. In older villages and immigrant neighborhoods alike, these celebrations were often sustained almost entirely through such offerings.

The custom also echoes older Mediterranean traditions in which worshippers expressed gratitude through visible votive offerings left at shrines and sacred sites. Far from superstition or spectacle, the practice reflects memory, continuity, devotion, and the enduring bond between faith and community.

~ By Giovanni di Napoli, June 8th, Feast of Our Lady of Sunday (Notre-Dame du Dimanche)