The Giglio and the Boat

The Lifters

A church member

This is the 126th annual procession of the Giglio (Lily) at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The Giglio is a 60-foot, 4 ton steel tower which is carried through the streets on the shoulders of lifters. At the same time a boat representing a pirate ship is carried to meet it, and at the climax of the procession the lifters from each side shake hands while brass bands play the Giglio Song. All this commemorates the life of St. Paulinus who was released from captivity by the Turks and returned in triumph to his home town, where he was met by the townspeople carrying lilies. Long before Williamsburg became a hotbed of art galleries followed by a nidus of multimillion-dollar condos, it was a neighborhood of southern Italian immigrants. The Giglio Feast draws Italian-Americans who may have moved away from the neighborhood but never miss the festival that they have loved all their lives. If you missed today’s lift, there will be another one on Wednesday at 7 PM.

http://www.olmcfeast.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&layout=item&id=37&Itemid=54

http://www.brooklyneagle.com/articles/126th-giglio-feast-take-place-williamsburg-2013-06-26-183000