  |
|
In Rapino, in the province of Chieti, May 8 is celebrated as the Festival of the young virgins, in honour of Our Lady of the Hornbeam. According to legend, the Virgin appeared under a hornbeam tree to a young shepherd who was tending his sheep. The boy raced back to the village to relate the miracle, and when he returned with the peasants, they found a statue of the Virgin under the tree. They built a church on the site and it houses the miraculous statue which has never been removed from the premises. The villagers did try to move the statue once, but it became so heavy that it they could not budge it from the spot. The celebration of May 8 is also linked to a miracle performed by the Virgin to save the village from drought by bringing rain. The high point of the festival is the procession of the maidens who march with an honour guard of little boys and Children of Mary, with various groups representing different ages. They all wear a special "Greek" outfits. On their tunics, the maidens wear the family’s gold jewelry, which is displayed at the heart of the procession as a symbolic offering to Our Lady of the Hornbeam. The girls have a special, elaborate hairdo, prepared by their mothers and grandmothers. |
|
|
