The Cocullo Snake Festival

Last night, I was reading H.V. Morton’s A Traveller in Southern Italy, he mentioned this, and of course it was down the rabbit hole. Where there are no more rabbits because of the snakes.

In the village of Cocullo, in Abruzzo, every year, there’s a “Snake festival.”

It’s in honor of St. Dominic of Sora, whose memorial is May 1.

In the town’s main square, while waiting for the procession to arrive, many serpari, or snake handlers, proudly display the various types of snakes they have captured. This gives visitors an opportunity to conquer any deep-seated fears, groundless aversions or inexplicable dislikes they may harbour toward these creatures, and let themselves be persuaded to actually touch one, even if reluctantly. Perhaps such a gesture satisfies a need to establish a closer connection with the supernatural world that these animals represent.
 
The procession begins at noon. Four persons carry the statue of the saint out of the church and rest it in front of the entrance, where the eagerly waiting serpari begin to drape their snakes around the statue. As this ritual takes place, the saint seems to be reminding everyone that he alone is the true master of these animals.
 
Beside the statue walk two young women in traditional costume carrying on top of their heads large baskets containing five ciambellati, sweet round breads that have been blessed and that, in accordance with tradition and in commemoration of a miracle performed by the saint, will be offered to the persons who carry the statue of the saint and the banner of the town during the procession.
 
As the procession winds its way between the town’s ancient buildings, the ritual becomes a re-enactment of ancient practices once prevalent throughout Europe. For example, in Spain’s Santiago de Compostela, which became Europe’s main pilgrimage destination, snake handling was not uncommon; in Markopoulos, on the island of Cephalonia, snakes were brought inside the church on August 15, the day of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin; and in ancient Greece, virgins climbed the Acropolis in order to feed milk to the sacred snakes kept in the Erechtheum. Snakes have inspired a wealth of lore and traditions, some of which honour them as symbols of fertility and some of which revile them as enemies.

More about the festival here and here. And if you do an image search for “Cocullo snake festival” you will find loads of photos, of course. I like the vintage ones, myself.

Here’s a whole page of vintage photos of the event. It’s fantastic.

This. Is. Italia.