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There is a little village in
the Abbruzzi where the snakes
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are part of an ancient
and gentle tradition.
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At Cucullo, on Saint Dominick's
Day, the statue of the saint
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is carried through
the procession.
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And the believers follow it
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with their hands full of
these harmless creatures.
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ln ancient times,
as the legend goes,
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the valleys of this region
were infested with vipers
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which the saint,
with the power of his love,
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made harmless by depriving
them of their poison.
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Beyond its pagan aspect
and its unusual folklore,
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the ceremony reveals
an ancient and deep
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act of faith toward goodness.
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The name of the village
is Nocera Tirinese,
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in the region of Calabria.
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The day is a Good Friday,
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and the police are trying
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in vain to implement
the priest's request.
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He's been trying for
a few years to convince
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the believers to give up
the ritual, the ''battienti''.
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The ''battienti'' perpetuated
through the centuries
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a tradition whose
origins are obscure.
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On every Good Friday,
they flagellate their legs
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using wooden disks
full of fragments of glass
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and run to spread
their blood on the streets
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where, in a few hours,
the procession,
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with a crucifix,
will pass by.