This Is Italy
May is the month of Catholic events and festivals in Italy. One of the most famous traditional festivals in Abruzzo (Abruzzo) is the feast of San Domenico in Cocullo, a small mountain village of about 200 inhabitants in the province of L'Aquila.
San Domenico
San Domenico lived in the Middle Ages and devoted himself to the foundation of monasteries in the Abruzzo en Lazio. In Cocullo, San Domenico is commemorated on May 1 with a special snake ritual. The Cocullos believe that calling on San Domenico protects against snakebites and other evils.
Snake Festival
The festival begins in the morning with the arrival of pilgrims from places where the cult is still very much alive, such as in Latium, Molise en Campania. They gather in the church of Cocullo and sing songs. In the square in front of the church, the captured snakes are proudly displayed, which play an important role in this snake festival or 'festa dei serpari'.
People touch the snakes and even children get one around their neck. Slowly the inhabitants are losing their fears. Towards noon, the procession begins: the effigy of San Domenico is carried by four people to the cemetery. There the statue gets the snakes 'hanged around'.
Salvation from all Evil
San Domenico is seen as a saint who will bring salvation. Not only against snakes or bites of poisonous or evil animals, but above all a salvation from all evil in the world. Overcoming the fear of snakes in a way symbolizes the hardships in life.
If you are in the area around the first of May, this is a great spectacle to behold.
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