Some historians argue that the origin of the structure dates back to ancient tree rituals in which the majo, the largest tree, was taken as a symbol of fertility. With the difference that people would walk around the majo, while the lily, instead, is dynamic and is carried among the people. Its symbolic meaning is also different from that of ancient festivals characterized by phallic worship. The lily in fact is closer to religion and devotion to the patron saint than to the request for prosperity.
But there is also the hypothesis that sees the lilies as an exaggerated evolution of the “cataletti,” the wooden litters with which the faithful carried large lit candles in honor of the patron saint. The candles in dialect were called “cilii,” and from here the term lilies arises.
Over the centuries, the size of the cataletti grew larger and larger, the shape changed from square to pyramidal, with more superimposed levels, and instead of candles the first decorations made with flowers and ears of wheat appeared.
Then in the 1700s, the competition among the various trade guilds began, the obelisks grew taller and the decorations became more sophisticated. In the 1800s, draperies and papier-mâché decorations started to be used, and the lilies were enriched with Gothic, Baroque, and Rococo motifs.
The construction of the lilies of Nola is very complex and takes several months of work. Essentially, fir, poplar, or well-seasoned chestnut wood are used because each time the lily is struck on the ground, it must emit a sharp sound. Carpenters, shipwrights, painters, sculptors are involved, and the design is increasingly often carried out by architects. First, the central structure of the spire, the “borda,” is created, introduced for the first time in 1887 to give the lily greater stability and elasticity.
This long axis tapers at the top and is composed of the union of four pieces of wood joined together with bolts and clamps. When the borda is finished, but not before attaching the image of Saint Paulinus on the wood, it is raised and leaned against a building, and with long ropes it is tied wherever possible, so that it does not fall. If the operation is successful, amid the explosions of firecrackers and poppers, the “master of the feast” with the paranza leader and all members of the corporation pop the champagne, toast, and wet the pole for good luck. At this point, the base of the lily is prepared, a square structure three meters high and two and a half meters wide, with twenty-centimeter thick wood. In the center, perpendicular or slightly leaning backward, is placed the long wooden core around which the entire scenic machine will be built. Then the other levels are mounted, six pieces in total, which narrow and become shorter as they rise. The measures of the lily are predetermined and must be the same for all: “for’ ‘e carcere”, where the current Mandamental Prison is located, a popular jury has the task of checking that each obelisk fits within established parameters, under penalty of exclusion from the festival.
When the entire framework is complete, wooden bars are arranged that will serve to lift the machine: eight fixed “varre” running lengthwise from one side of the base to the other, and eight “varricelle” per side, arranged transversely, which can be removed when narrow alleys must be crossed. Once, the “varre” were tied to the base with “muscielli,” very resistant ropes which have almost entirely been replaced by elastic bands and other more modern materials. Now the lily is complete and “undressed,” weighs about two thousand kilograms, and is twenty-five meters high.
During the procession, the lilies are accompanied by a boat, also carried on the shoulder, which constitutes the core around which the entire festival revolves. On board are the statue of Saint Paulinus and that of a Turk holding a saber. This year, for the first time, no committee applied to build it. The Municipality therefore asked the Pro Loco to do it and allocated a contribution of 35,000 euros. Meanwhile, the Associazione Contea Nolana has proposed to establish a permanent committee to whom the task for future years will be entrusted.
The setup of the eight lilies takes place in various points of the historic center of Nola, and once work is completed, the men of the paranze, accompanied by the music band, move them near the homes of the respective “masters of the feast.” This is the first official test, and now finally the frame can be covered with papier-mâché works made by the master “lilies makers.” The art of working papier-mâché developed in Nola in the early 1800s and although sophisticated products such as polyurethanes or epoxy resins are now used, papier-mâché remains the preferred material for creating these scenic machines with an increasingly surprising aesthetic. The procedure for constructing the panels may seem simple at first glance, but actually hides an art handed down through generations. Craftsmen first prepare various plastic sketches and then use plaster to create the shapes on which the papier-mâché will be modeled.
After checking that the joints of the individual pieces correspond exactly, final painting is carried out and then assembly on the “undressed” lily using a pulley previously mounted on the cusp. When the obelisk is completed it weighs more than four thousand kilograms, and the 120 “cullatori” of the paranza have the arduous task of carrying it on their shoulders through the narrow streets of the historic center of Nola to stop then in the Cathedral square. All the terms used in the festival come from the environments of the Port of Naples, where men were once recruited for carrying the lilies: the paranzaro was the one who organized the group of dockworkers to unload ships, while the “cullata” was the name given to the oscillatory movement of loads carried on the shoulder. Unfortunately, many of the old terms are gradually disappearing because the festival of the lilies is increasingly characterized by technology and competition. Before the advent of loudspeakers, for example, there was a command that the paranzaro gave to raise and slam the heavy structure on the ground: …”uagliù…aizate ‘e spalle…cuonce cuonce …e ghiettele!” with three long and slow calls for attention. Today this phrase is no longer heard in Nola. But it can be heard in Brooklyn, in the community of Nola emigrants in the United States at the beginning of the last century, who brought some of their traditions in their suitcases. Like the festival of the lilies held every year in Williamsburg.
