The Great Feast of Giglio !!!

The Giglio Festival kicked off Sunday in Williamsburg.

Hundreds of people from Our Lady of Mount Carmel joined in a tradition that dates back 120 years.

The high point is the carrying of the massive giglio through the streets. It's a 75-foot tower, that weighs four tons. It has a 16-piece orchestra sitting on top playing Italian music, and the pastor and 120 men lift the giglio literally dance through the streets of Williamsburg.

On top of the tower is a statue of Saint Paulinus of Nola, a 5th century Italian bishop who went into slavery to spare a villager's son. The festival marks his emancipation after a Turkish Sultan won his freedom.

More pics and links be here