Lifting of the Giglio: A Neighborhood Tradition of Invitation

Tags: Currents Brooklyn, NY, Faith, Family, Inspiration, Media, Queens, NY

Hundreds of enthusiastic spectators crowded onto Havemeyer Street in front of the Shrine Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel on Sunday, July 9, to witness a Catholic tradition that dates back to 1887 Italy: the hoisting of the seven-story Giglio.

Part of the 12-day Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in honor of the Virgin Mary, the Dancing of the Giglio featured over 100 “lifters” carrying the towering, four-ton metal monument and its platform.

The Giglio was adorned with papier-mache angels, small statues, giglio flowers, and was topped by a statue of St. Paulinus, the patron saint of Nola, Italy.