When 10-year-old Sophia Fialkosky of Newton took flight Sunday night from a third-story window to the statue of the Madonna del Soccorso waiting on North Street below, she was carrying on a family tradition kept for years by aunts, cousins, and grandparents.

Anna Campo, a 94-year-old North End resident and Sophia’s great-grandmother, is the oldest living Flying Angel, said Sophia’s mother, Justine.

“She’s very, very proud,’’ Justine said Sunday afternoon as she and her daughter eagerly awaited the ceremony.

The flight was the finale of the North End’s annual Fisherman’s Feast, which is in its 108th year. The spectacle, facilitated by a sturdy harness and a flurry of confetti, symbolizes devotion to the Madonna del Soccorso, the patroness of the Sicilian fishing village of Sciacca. The Madonna was believed to have performed several miracles for the village, including healing the broken neck of a monk and giving a paralyzed girl the ability to walk.

Immigrants from the village brought the festival to the North End in 1910, but its origins date back to the 16th century.

This year’s festival kicked off Thursday evening with a procession of the Madonna through the North End and continued Friday, Saturday, and Sunday with live music, children’s activities, and its first-ever Best Meatball Competition. Eric Buonagurio, chef at Tony & Elaine’s Restaurant, a new eatery set to open in the North End this fall, was crowned the winner from a pool of 13 entrants.

The flying angel ceremony started at about 9:10 p.m., and lasted about 15 minutes.

Sophia, wearing a crown, wings, and a blue-and-white dress, delivered her prayer while suspended in the air, facing the Madonna statue. When she finished, the crowd below cheered and whistled as confetti in the colors of the Italian flag shot out of cannons, and Sophia was hoisted back up to the balcony.

Standing in front of the Sacred Heart Church in North Square Sunday afternoon, Sophia said she was “a little nervous,’’ but was mostly excited for her role in the ceremony. She, like all Flying Angels, already had two years of experience as a side angel before being nominated for the leading role. Side angels appear on the balcony next to the Flying Angel and recite a prayer in Italian.

Sophia, who will be a fifth-grader at Burr Elementary School in Newton this fall, said her favorite part of the festival, which her family attends every year, is when the crowd is showered with confetti.

Emily Williams can be reached at emily.williams@globe.com.