Festival of the snake-catchers

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.

Festival of the snake-catchers
Statue of St Domenico being carried in procession at Cocullo
StatusActive
GenreReligious
FrequencyAnnually
Location(s)Cocullo
CountryItaly

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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