Verbicaro, a moment of the ritual of the Vattienti di Verbicaro, in Calabria. Ancient ritual that is renewed every year on Good Friday before Easter. During the night the devotees cross the barefoot streets of the town, hitting themselves with cork stoppers on which pieces of glass are stuck which cause injuries to the legs and copious bleeding. They pray before some altars and in front of the doors of some churches, but do not enter in them and leave their imprints of the bloody hands on the walls. This rite of scourging dates back to the 13th century. 13/04/2017, Verbicaro, Italy

---

Size: 2751px × 4134px
Photo credit: © IPA / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: blood, boards, broken, calabria, cork, easter, friday, glass, good, holy, legs, penance, prayer, ritual, thursday, vattienti, verbicaro, week