Italians-for-a-Day Swell New York’s Columbus Parade Crowds

Thousands of Italians and would-be Italians lined 5th Avenue Monday to watch the annual Columbus Day parade, which featured gymnasts making a human replica of the explorer’s ship, the Santa Maria.

A plethora of politicians, led by U.S. Atty. Rudolph W. Giuliani, who served as grand marshal, led streams of marchers parading to the sounds of dozens of high school bands.

“This is a wonderful celebration of my heritage,” Giuliani said as he started up 5th Avenue from 44th Street. “It’s a wonderful day for everybody.”

About 30 bands and 10 floats were part of the parade that went up the avenue to 86th Street. Police estimated 38,000 people, many waving Italian flags, turned out to watch the parade, which went off in brisk temperatures and under cloudy skies.

The parade’s highlight came in front of the reviewing stand at 69th Street when more than 400 gymnasts from Nichiren Shoshu of America, a Buddhist organization, built a human replica of Columbus’ ship.

Members of the troupe, all wearing blue T-shirts and white shorts, held up six ladders while other gymnasts clambered up the rungs. Other participants, holding each other’s ankles and wrists, were hoisted up to simulate the ship’s rigging.

The largest contingent of gymnasts, standing on ladders laid horizontally, built a five-tiered replica of the Santa Maria, on which Columbus sailed to the Americas from Spain in 1492.

Troupe members in the front and rear of the ship replica held red, white and green Italian flags while the gymnast atop the human ship held an American flag.