Giglio Sunday

Williamsburg church Our Lady of Mt. Carmel hosts this spectacle celebrating Saint Paulinus, who—according to legend—offered himself into slavery in North Africa in order to set a young man from his village free. Learning about Paulinus’ self-sacrifice, a Turkish sultan released the do-gooder, who was greeted with lilies upon his return home. The church’s reenactment is a party like no other: A group of 112 men craft a five-story-high structure from lilies, with a statue of Paulinus perched on top; then, the guys “dance” by lifting it on signal. Eventually the tower meets a boat, which is lofted in similar fashion, that carries a band on its platform—and yes, the musicians will be performing live as they’re carried.