Festival of the snake-catchers

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Festival of the snake-catchers
La statuta di S.Domenico in processione a Cocullo.jpg
Statue of St Domenico being carried in procession at Cocullo
StatusActive
GenreReligious
FrequencyAnnually
Location(s)Cocullo
CountryItaly

The Festival of the snake catchers (or snake-charmers) (Festa dei Serpari di Cocullo) is an annual festival in Cocullo, Italy in honour of St. Dominic, patron saint protecting against snakebite and toothache.[1] Its origins date back to paganism and have roots in an ancient celebration in honour of the Roman goddess Angitia.[2] The festival involves a procession carrying the statue of St. Dominic, draped with living snakes, through the streets of the village.

The celebration and its history[]

After Mass, the statue of St. Dominic is brought out and paraded through the streets, completely  covered in snakes, followed by the Serpari (a hereditary brotherhood of local snake-charmers) who are also draped with snakes.

This festival has pre-Christian roots and is related to a much older rite, that of the snake deity, Angitia. In pagan times, the snake-charmers were the priests at the sanctuary of Angitia[3] and the snakes were associated with healing.[4] Cocullo was the territory of the Marsi, known for their magic arts and power over serpents.[5]

The festival was nominated as a cultural ceremony to be protected by UNESCO[6]

References[]

  1. ^ Grant, Richard (4 February 2016). "Italy's fascinating Festival of the Snake-Catchers". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2018-05-01.
  2. ^ Pecoraro, Emiliano (October 2018). "La festa dei serpari: tra antropologia, arte, religione e mito" (PDF). Retrieved 8 Feb 2020.
  3. ^ Delos Initiative. Workshop (3rd : 2010 : Inari, Lapin lääni, Finland) (2012). The diversity of sacred lands in Europe : proceedings of the Third Workshop of the Delos Initiative, Inari/Aanaar, Finland, 1-3 July 2010. Mallarach i Carrera, Josep Maria., Papagiannēs, Thymios., Väisänen, Rauno., International Union for Conservation of Nature., IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas., Metsähallitus (Firm). Gland, Switzerland: IUCN. ISBN 978-2-8317-1423-3. OCLC 793221858.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ Waal, Vita de (2018-05-23). "Understanding the Continuous Sustainable Nature of Cultural and Sacred Heritage - The Cultural and Sacred Sites of the Majella National Park in Abruzzo". Almatourism - Journal of Tourism, Culture and Territorial Development. 9 (8): 129–149. doi:10.6092/issn.2036-5195/7723. ISSN 2036-5195.
  5. ^ Håland, Evy Johanne (2011-03-19). "Saints, Snakes and Healing in Modern and Ancient Greece and Italy". Performance and Spirituality. 2 (1): 111–151. ISSN 2157-4049.
  6. ^ "Abruzzo, la festa dei Serpari cerca riconoscimento Unesco". Rainews (in Italian). Retrieved 2020-02-09.
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