Cocullo (Aq) - Italy. In this small mountain village in Abruzzo, from time immemorial, on May 1st at noon an event has been taking place unchanged whose significance goes far beyond mere appearance. It is the feast of St. Dominic and the rite of Serpari. The festival starts in the morning with the arrival of the pilgrims who advance in the church singing devotional hymns. During the celebration of the Mass, the devotees repeat ancient symbolic rituals such as pulling with their teeth a bell rope to protect themselves from toothache. Meanwhile, in the main square of the village, the "serpari" (snake-charmers) show various types of snakes captured in the previous months. At noon the procession begins, and the statue of the Saint is carried by four people on their shoulders out of the church, and immediately the serpari place the snakes on it, and they wrap themselves around the statue. The act of putting snakes around the statue of the Saint expresses the solution of the eternal opposition between the natural world with all its perils and the human world that is forced to defend itself in order to survive, and St. Dominic is seen as a character who leads towards salvation, not only against the bites of snakes and poisonous or rabid animals, but also towards universal salvation against the evils of the world. Overcoming the fear of snakes means overcoming and facing with courage the adversities of life. visitabruzzo.co.uk
Claudio Dell'Osa is an Italian photographer. The passion for photography began around 1999 with the first digital cameras and were close to those of analog, like the Mamiya RB67. The experimentation led him to deepen various techniques. From macro photography to the 3D, from astrophotography to virtual tour. Currently engaged in the photographic enhancement of the Italian territory and in the implementation of various projects that have given rise to various exhibitions and events.
