Feast of Saint Dominic the Abbot and the Rite of the Serpari

A unique rite between the sacred and the ancestral

In the heart of the Peligna Valley, perched among the mountains of the province of L'Aquila in Abruzzo, the tiny village of Cocullo — with only a few hundred inhabitants — becomes the center of one of Italy's most fascinating folk celebrations once a year. On May 1st, the Feast of Saint Dominic the Abbot and the Rite of the Serpari takes place, an event where religious devotion blends with ancient traditions linked to snake worship.

The legend of Saint Dominic

Saint Dominic the Abbot, a Benedictine monk originally from Foligno, founded numerous monasteries between Lazio and Abruzzo around the year 1000. According to tradition, he left a tooth and a horseshoe from his mule in Cocullo, which are kept as relics: from these, the popular faith in the saint as a protector against snake bites, toothaches, and rabies was born. Scholars like Ernesto De Martino have linked this rite to the pre-Roman cult of the goddess Angizia, worshipped by the Italic peoples of the Marsi and Peligni as a deity capable of protecting against snake venom.

The serpari and the snakes

The absolute protagonists of the festival are the serpari (snake-handlers), heirs to the ancient ciarallai, guardians of knowledge passed down from generation to generation. In the weeks leading up to the festival, when the snow melts, they catch four species of strictly non-venomous snakes in the surrounding woods: the four-lined snake, the Aesculapian snake, the grass snake, and the green whip snake. The animals are kept in special wooden boxes and fed until the day of the procession, only to be released back into their natural habitat once the festivities conclude.

The May 1st procession

The climax arrives at noon, following the Solemn Holy Mass: the statue of Saint Dominic is covered with live snakes by the serpari and carried in procession along the streets of the historic center. It is a spectacle of great emotional impact, accompanied by the young women of the village who carry baskets of ciambellani, the traditional votive breads, on their heads. Many faithful pull the small bell of the saint with their teeth, a propitiatory gesture against tooth ailments, and collect blessed earth from the grotto behind the saint's niche.

A heritage to be valued

The festival attracts tens of thousands of visitors from all over Italy and abroad every year. The ritual's candidacy for UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage is currently underway, led by anthropologist Lia Giancristofaro. The Sanctuary of Saint Dominic, unfortunately still closed due to damage from the 2009 earthquake, remains at the heart of the community's hopes in Cocullo.