Every July
in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, a ke-razy Italian hoe-down fills the
streets surrounding Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church… The Dance of the Giglio (aka Feast of the Giglio) features a parade of 100+ men hoisting a 4-ton platform which supports a
full-piece brass band and a sublimely gaudy 65-foot spire of paper mache
crowned by the likeness of San Paolino of Nola.
Apparently,
the original festival celebrated San Paolino, who sacrificed his own freedom to
save a child when the Huns invaded Italy 1600 years ago. Giglio means lily (as
in the flower), which is what the townspeople gave Paolino when he returned
from his years of servitude. And somewhere down the line, lilies were replaced
by a gigantic phallus topped with a glorified garden gnome. Right on!
More photos of this madness may be found here.
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