Parishioners, pilgrims flock to Williamsburg festival
Giglio Fest commemorates fifth-century Italian bishop
By the thousands, revelers recently returned to Havemeyer Street in Williamsburg to celebrate the annual Giglio Feast following its first-ever cancellation in 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and then downsized crowds in 2021.
The feast, first held in Williamsburg in 1903 by immigrants from Nola, Italy, combines two celebrations.
One, typically held on June 22, is dedicated to St. Paulinus, the Bishop of Nola from 409 AD to 431 AD, and the other, celebrated on July 16, to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, the name given to the Virgin Mary by the Catholic Church’s Carmelite Order. While the feast used to span several weeks between the holidays, it has since been combined into one 12-day event.