Guagliu’! Aizate ‘e Spalle! Cuonci Cuonci! Aghiett!* Visit us in Harlem for the Giglio Feast!
If you understand that, your family probably speaks Neapolitan or you’ve spent some time at a Giglio feast! When someone says, “I’m going to an Italian feast or festival this weekend”, what comes to mind? Sausage and peppers, zeppole, torrone, andrite, an Italian band, dancing, fireworks, maybe even fried oreos and crowds…but a 70 foot tower that holds a band and is carried by 80-100 people?
This weekend, the East Harlem Giglio Society and Our Lady of Mount Carmel Shrine will have their annual feast culminating with Giglio Lift Sunday. On that day, at 1:30, the band will climb onto the platform, the paranza (lifters) will take their places under the Giglio di Sant’Antonio, the #1 Capo will grab his cane and get ready to direct the music and dancing of the Giglio through the streets! So come on down to East Harlem, visit the torrone stand for nuts, biscotti, torrone, un malocchio keychain, and see the 2,000 pound Giglio dance in the streets of NYC!
Watch a from the Giglio Society of East Harlem’s You Tube page. Learn more about the Giglio Feast rituals and the feast schedule on their website. Pleasant Avenue, 114-116 Street East Harlem, NY, August 10th-13th
*Guagliu’! (Boys) Aizate ‘e Spalle! (Lift your shoulders!) Cuonci Cuonci! (Nice and Easy!) Aghiett! (Drop it!)
We'll be in Harlem for the Giglio feast! See our event page for more details.
photo from orderisda
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