Analyzing The Documentary 'The Feast Of St. Paulinus'

Analysis Paper
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Institutional Affiliation Analysis Paper The Feast of St. Paulinus is an annually held festival which is celebrated in several parts of the world. The celebration mentioned in the documentary “The Men Dancing the Giglio” took place in Brooklyn in 1995. It is organized in memory of the famous historical Italian figure known for contributing to the liberation of the captivated Italian citizens in the ancient times. The meeting unites visitors, offering different activities, drinks, and food, but the main event is the walk of the Giglio lifters controlled by the capo. The capo, Giglio lifters, musicians, street traders and organizers of other activities are the main participants. Since the key idea of the
Paulinus begins with an opening stage, then proceeds to the central event – dancing the Giglio and finishes with a massive celebration and a closing ceremony. The event includes dancing, music performances, selling drinks, food, and clothing with the festive attributes. The time is operated through the strict abidance to the music rhythm and the capo’s commands. The St Paulinus’s statue, placed on a wooden construction approximately five floors in height helps to always remember the saint has freed the Italian slaves from the African invaders. The named construction itself, called the Giglio reminds about the lilies brought by the citizens in honor of the saint in those times. Moreover, the use of music and the capo’s work help to show the Italian immigrants in the United States have preserved their identity as the posterity of a great nation once captivated. No special costumes are involved not including the red scarves and hats. Legends about Paulinus and the music involved in the 17th century are the central components of the fete. As Gmelch (1971) notes rituals appear when the great achievements are possessed (p. 40) and one can see them in the strict adherence to the order in which the Giglio should be lifted up and down not to harm the spine – the movement should be synchronous and connected with the music rhythm. It is evident, as, since, as according to the Gmelch’s statements mentioned before, these are effective movements which should not be
The capo and the Giglio lifters also treat this tradition specially. Many of them have seen their first celebrations when they were small children and wanted to participate. And when they finally got that possibility, they felt notable and had a feeling their efforts had a great meaning even if they were causing some pain. Some active members wanted to get a promotion and become capos, while others felt comfortable performing the hardest part – lifting the weight. The festival visitors leave it with unforgettable impressions and a reminder history and culture are considerable. The documentary represents different perspectives of the people who once participated in the festival. They propose documents and memories as an evidence they have once participated or continue to do so in the celebration, as well as their family members did, show the photographs and so on. The participants describe their emotions felt while they directed the crowd which carried the Giglio or the family which proposed to make a statue of the St. Paulinus’s wife for women to carry. This can be considered as the twin idea carrying dynamic feature of the custom as primarily there was no such a tradition to create statues of St. Paulina. Therefore, the