Friday, April 15, 2011 The attractions of snakes seems to be a
huge pull factor, and seemingly the whole world's major
ophidiophillaccs (snake lovers) often accompanied by their
snakes, alongside keen photographers, descend on the small
medieval town of Cocullo, in the Abruzzo Majella Mountains,
ready to take part in this festival which has been re-enacted in
its current Christian format each year, apart from 2009. There
are three supposed origins to the Cocullo Snake Festival....In
the 11th century, apparently Saint Dominic cleared the local
fields which were being overrun by snakes, and as a sign of
thanks, since 1392, the locals parade his statue and snakes
around the streets. The second version dates to 700 B.C., locals
experienced the same problems in tending to their field and
Apollo ordered the village to entwine the snakes around his
statue so that they would become tame and be able to farm once
more. The first origin dates back some 2000 years to the Marsi
who were the original inhabitants of the are