A person films the rite of the snakes tradition being celebrated in central Italy. Abruzzo's most famous and mysterious folkloric celebration is an event in which pagan customs and Christian tradition merge: devotion to St Dominic, protector against the bite of reptiles, is intertwined with the archaic ritual of the 'serpari'. This custom is linked to the pagan rites of the Marsi, an ancient Italic people. In contemporary times, it is celebrated in honour of St Dominic, who is believed to be the protector against toothache, reptile bites and rabies. The ceremony, now fixed on the first of May each year, has been repeated unchanged for many years: during the mass celebrated in the church of Cocullo, the faithful perform propitiatory rituals with an ancient pagan flavour, but converted and immersed in the religious substratum of the cult of St Dominic, one of the most famous saints in central Italy. (Photo by Raul Moreno / SOPA Images/Sipa USA)