A Bloody Religious Rite Of Penance Continues For Over 500 Years
- 7 years ago
These hooded men are thrashing themselves bloody on behalf of the Virgin Mary.
The procession of "Riti Settennali di Penitenza" occurs every seven years in the village of Guardia Sanframondi in Italy. It commemorates the Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary into heaven.
The penitents wear hoods to protect their identities, even from family members. They thrash their bare chests with a disk of cork pierced by nails or strike their backs with a metal chain.
The ritual has been celebrated for centuries, but there have been updates made for the present-day procession. While spectators are allowed to watch, they are officially prohibited from taking selfies with the penitents. But while the phones may be modern, the violent ritual is most definitely not.
The procession of "Riti Settennali di Penitenza" occurs every seven years in the village of Guardia Sanframondi in Italy. It commemorates the Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary into heaven.
The penitents wear hoods to protect their identities, even from family members. They thrash their bare chests with a disk of cork pierced by nails or strike their backs with a metal chain.
The ritual has been celebrated for centuries, but there have been updates made for the present-day procession. While spectators are allowed to watch, they are officially prohibited from taking selfies with the penitents. But while the phones may be modern, the violent ritual is most definitely not.