By Katie Vasquez
A Long Island Festival is bringing a centuries-old Italian tradition to a new generation, celebrating faith, family and the heritage of immigrants who carried the custom from Brooklyn and Queens to Long Island.
The four-day festival was created four years ago for descendants of Italian immigrants who wanted to continue the tradition of the Giglio feast, which originated in Nola, Italy.
“My family comes from the town that this originated from in Nola, Italy,” said Anthony Casalino, vice president of the committee for The Massapequa Giglio Association. “So I say it’s in my sangue, it’s in my blood. And I’ve been going back to Nola, Italy for 23 years to watch and participate there.”
Casalino said the festival is a way for families to reconnect with the traditions their ancestors brought to America.
“We are all descendants of those people that lived in Williamsburg and moved out to Long Island, and we said, you want to bring those same traditions out here,” he said.
A major highlight of the celebration is the lifting of the Giglio tower, a 72.5 foot, 4 ton towering structure carried by dozens of participants while traditional music fills the streets.
The La Mancos Band from Nola, Italy performed atop the Giglio tower, bringing the sounds of the original festival to Long Island.
“For us, it’s a great honor to be here, especially because this tradition in Nola and America share the same roots,” a band member said.
The festival also honors the Catholic roots of the tradition. Italian immigrants started the celebration in honor of San Paolino, the patron saint of Nola, whose story dates back more than 1,600 years.
“Oh, I love it,” said Joseph Mingione, a Giglio lifter. “I mean, this tradition dates back to 1600 years ago, 400 A.D., and it’s honoring San Paolino. He sacrificed himself for children and women from pirates and sacrificed his own life, and it means a lot.”
For many participants, taking part in the Giglio lift is a personal connection to their ancestors and the generations who kept the tradition alive.
Casalino said he felt that connection firsthand when he returned to Nola, Italy and helped lift the Giglio there.
“I went back to Nola, Italy and actually lifted the Giglio there,” he said. “And there was a point during that lift I just became emotional because I thought about, I had family that did this back to the turn of the century, back in the 1800s.”
The festival continues to serve as a celebration of faith, culture and the enduring legacy of Italian immigrants.
For more information on the festival, click here.