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WHA.....WHOO....LOOK WHAT'S COMING OUR WAY!!!!!
The atmosphere is already exploding with excitement as everyone is looking forward to the great event of the Feast of the Giglio Di Sant' Antonio in East Harlem.
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My Goodness, it's that time already? Why it only seemed like yesterday I was posting the announcement for the last Giglio feast, and now its around the corner again.
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East Harlem, once the largest Italian community in NYC is a pleasant memory for countless former inhabitants. To renew that memory, thousands of former residents along with their children and grandchildren will be returning to renew that bond and meet up with friends in the old neighborhood for the Feast of Giglio di Sant’Antonio sponsored by the Giglio Society of East Harlem.
Guess what! Yours truly , a resident from long time ago as a kid and teen-ager will be there on Sunday the 8th with my son and 10 year old grandson and of course my Italian niece, whose family owned a parking lot around 111th street in the old neighborhood. What great precious memories the Italian feasts have given me as a child growing up in East Harlem. Although I promote the feast on my Italian Harlem website and Mimi Speaks blog, I haven't been able to attend for years, now I am finally getting my wish. Hope to see all of you there.
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"For those unfamiliar with the Giglio (pronounced JEEL-YO)-it is a 75 to 85 foot tall wooden structure weighing approx 8,000 lbs with a paper-mache face adorned with beloved saints and colorful flowers.Giglios are built in honor of a town’s patron saint and carried on the shoulders of approximately 120 men in a ritual that dates back to 409AD in the town of Nola Italy. Today, Giglio feasts are found throughout a number of towns in the surrounding area of Naples. Each town varies the tradition to meet the local town’s tradition. On the platform just above the base of the Giglio sits a multi-piece band along with several singers. The music is an instrumental part of the dancing of the Giglio as it inspires the Lifters (also known as the ‘”Paranza” in Italian) to take on the burdening weight of the Giglio and band and dance it in harmony to the music being played. Additional historical Giglio information can be found at http://www.giglio-usa.org/.
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I know everyone, past and present residents of East Harlem are looking forward to having a great time at the feast and please don't forget to applaud and praise all those wonderful people who have worked so hard all year round to make it possible. Of course Bobby Maida, the official photographer of the East Harlem Giglio Society will be there equipped with his camera to capture all those wonderful images, so everyone can see it online. We have much to be thankful to Bobby Maida for keeping alive the visual memories of this most celebrated Feast. So don't forget to mark this date on your calendar. Let's make with our presence the year 2010 the best of all years.. So everybody, what are you waiting for....start spreading the news........
