Flagellants of Nocera Terinese (Good Friday's Rite) - I Vattienti di Nocera Terinese (Riti del Venerdì Santo)

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WARNING: SOME VIEWERS MAY FIND SOME OF THE IMAGES DISTURBING (INCLUDING PRESENCE OF BLOOD AND SELF-INFLICTED VIOLENCE).<br />
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Nocera Terinese (Catanzaro, Calabria - Italy), 19/04/2019. For many centuries (allegedly 13th Century AC), on the Good Friday evening (Christian commemoration of the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary) and during the whole Holy Saturday, in Nocera Terinese is repeated the rite of the "Vattienti" (flagellants). The event starts at the beginning of the evening with a procession following the statue of Our Lady of Sorrows - a "Pietà" built in the XVII century - in the main street of the town. Making his way throughout the crowd, the Vattiente appears in front of the statue followed by his "Ecce Homo" (represents Jesus and he is tied to the Vattiente with a string), and starts to whip himself with a cork discs ("Lanza") in which the inserted thirteen glass splinters (representing Jesus, the Apostles and Judas) cause blood spill (about 400 ml each Vattiente). The blood and the wounds, triggered by this extreme form of mortification of the flesh, are washed with wine. The Vattiente is known to perform this rite for various reasons including: a sign of devotion, to fulfill a vow, to feel closer to Jesus, to revive the memory of ancestors, and during it he makes several stopover in front of the town churches and in the doorways of families and friends' houses.<br />
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* For the full caption please read the Article at the beginning of this story <br />
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Footnotes and links:<br />
1. http://bit.do/eQtYD (ENG – Source, Italyguide.eu)<br />
2. http://bit.do/eQtY4 - 3. http://bit.do/eQt4G (ENG – Source, Wikipedia.org)<br />
4. http://bit.do/eQtZM (ITA – Source, noceraterinese.com)<br />
5. http://bit.do/eQt3p (ITA – Source, corrieredellacalabria.it)<br />
6. A video of the event (Source, noceraterinese.com): https://youtu.be/FaeyrnDfobw

WARNING: SOME VIEWERS MAY FIND SOME OF THE IMAGES DISTURBING (INCLUDING PRESENCE OF BLOOD AND SELF-INFLICTED VIOLENCE).

Nocera Terinese (Catanzaro, Calabria - Italy), 19/04/2019. For many centuries (allegedly 13th Century AC), on the Good Friday evening (Christian commemoration of the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary) and during the whole Holy Saturday, in Nocera Terinese is repeated the rite of the "Vattienti" (flagellants). The event starts at the...
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