La Festa dei Gigli for the 6th edition of
@salietabacchijournal
(Additional context further down helps clarify the portraits)
La Festa dei Gigli in Nola dates back to the 5th century, honouring Saint Paulinus of Nola. Towering gigli built from wood and covered in papier-mâché are designed as vertical façades, mostly drawing on religious themes, and engineered to appear monumental while remaining light enough to carry. The designs are created by specialised workshops, often family run and passed down through generations, with locals such as the Tudisco family becoming well-known for their craftsmanship.
Traditionally there are eight gigli, each representing a historic guild or trade, along with the Barca. Each structure has its own group and identity, organised into paranze, the teams responsible for carrying it, with individual lifters known as cullatori.
They are moved through the streets by coordinated teams in a continuous procession that can last up to 24 hours, often running from one morning into the next.
Despite the lightweight materials, the load places sustained stress on the body, particularly through the shoulders and spine. Within these teams are men with visible physical changes linked to repeated uneven load bearing, including shoulder asymmetry, soft tissue thickening, and spinal curvature.
Although access to public healthcare in Italy means treatment is often possible, these physical changes are not always something participants choose to correct, as they are locally understood as a respected badge of honour.
Please read the accompanying essay by
@carairetiscrivo in the magazine for a much more in-depth analysis on La Festa dei Gigli.
Thanks as always to
@elisacarassai &
@leonardo_pellegrino Your dedication to researching and preserving culture is invaluable.
And thank you to the beautiful people of Nola, especially
@massimo.est @sonocomesonoio @forpersonaluse and of course never forgetting
@dronaut.video
Processing & Scanning:
@econe_lab
Hand prints:
@sarahengland_darkroom
#festadeigigli
