"The Flying of The Angels": Festival of Maria SS Lauretana

REMIXED VERSION HERE:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQIPzlTjxHs


108th Annual Festival Honoring Maria SS Lauretana Society of Altaville Micilia

This festival and it's tradition began in Altaville Micilia, Sicily. It was first brought here to America in 1900 when the procession and the "Flying of Angels" made it way to the near north Chicago neighborhood of Cabrini Green.

In recent years this tradition is continued every Labor Day Weekend in the western suburb of Berwyn, Illinois.

The Maria Santisima (S.S) Lauretana Society
is composed of three groups:

The "Deputazoine", who administer the festival wear yellow; The "Sorelanza", the Womans Guild, wear maroon dresses; and "The Fratalanza" or Brotherhood, or "The Maroons", who's job it is to carry the shrine.

The music was supplied on scene by the Sicilian Band of Chicago, who accompanied the shrine through the fest.

This was shot hand-held with the Canon Elura 100
Wild audio in 16 bit.
Edited and mixed to MPEG4 on Final Cut
Thanks to Ed Pitts of Absolute Video, Oak Park, IL.

Thanks to emtfire62 for information.

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• Lauretana
• Sicily
• Chicago
• Angels
• Flying
• Festival
• America
• ethnic
• Italian
• tradition
• unusual
• girls
• shrine
• Cabrini
• Illinois

[otto3391]

i have been goin to this feast for the last 25 years sundays and mondays are da best it is all italians and no gangbangers

[dogstar7]

That will be enough.

[AmoreFrancesca]

what are they saying? i love this video i was just there yesterday when do they have this? the last day is monday! would love to take pics...can you translate what they are saying both in italian and english!! your the best GRAZIE UN BACI!!

[dogstar7]

AmoreFrancesca: The girls are "flown" in the evenings between 8:30 and 10pm. I'm sorry, I don't speak the Italian/Sicilian dialect either. I'm hoping to get some interviews about the history of the fest this year. Thanks for subscribing.

[girldann]

This was pretty amazing. Quite good. I didn't think the children still flew as angels. I remember there was, also, a parade of people carrying fake body parts asking to be healed.

[dogstar7]

girldann,

Yes! You are correct. The wax body parts that have been carried in processions though the years were on display in a tent. I have footage of them but nobody would discuss them on camera (too shy). It was too difficult to represent what they signified so I left it out.

Next year (Labor Day weekend) I'm looking foreward to more cooperation from the festival organizers for a more enclusive documentary. Thanks for viewing.

[IlStudioso]

I went to this feast just yesterday (06 Sept. 2009), its 109th year. This video obviously was a year ago but this year it was exactly the same as last year, except without the fire! I went mainly as a mini-"pilgrimage" to Maria SS. Lauretana, prayed to her at a shrine at the tent by the Boat, bought myself a rosary dedicated to Her, and stayed for the mini-Mass. My family is not Sicilian (we are Molisano and Abruzzese) but these still are important cultural values to cherish.

[fitoman95]

Im from spain otto 3391 n I think you have rasist problems, people like you most to be in asylum sorry but true

[AmoreFrancesca]

I will be there @ 8:00 p.m.. tonight see you there!! Thank you for the video and to everyone for the comments!!With Love, Francesca!!

[lcullotta]

What a wonderful tribute to the "feast". Very well done.

[dogstar7]

Thank you for the invitation.

You'll be hearing from me soon.

[girldann]

My mom told me the wax body parts signified the part of the body that they, a relative, or friend was asking the madonaa to be healed. I remember going in a room with tables piled high with wax body parts.