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In Pretoro, in the province of Chieti, the first Sunday in May is celebrated as the Feast of Saint Dominic. The celebration begins with a religious ritual in the church dedicated to the saint. After the ceremony, there is a procession of snake hunters, derived from the belief that Saint Dominic protects people from the bite of snakes and mad dogs. The snakes carried behind the saint in the procession have been captured by boys in the mountains in April. In a large clearing not far from the village, the religious Play of the Wolf is performed. The actors are traditionally male, including the newborn, who must be the youngest male child in the village. The play is a reenactment of the miracle of Saint Dominic: two peasants, a husband and wife, go off into the forest to gather wood. The wolf, played by a man dressed in furs, tries to snatch their baby, but they chase him away. The couple take a rest and have something to eat and drink; then they return to their task of gathering wood. On the advice of her husband, the woman leaves the infant unattended, and the wolf carries him off. The distraught couple kneel before the statue of Saint Dominic and pray for his help. Through the saint’s intervention, the wolf returns the infant to his elated parents. |
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