Unusual Festivals
On October 31, in many countries children and adults dress up in unusual costumes.,;~ o'
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There is a legend in Cocullo that the surrounding mountains and forests were once full of poisonous snakes.This festival is held each year in the tiny village of Cocullo, which is surrounded by sorne of Italy's wildest forests.Many of the people from Cocullo who went into these areas died after being bitten by the poisonous snakes.Farmers bring thousands of tomatoes from around the countryside, and the festival begins with the firing of a rocket.Apollo told them to capture the snakes, put them around his statue in the village, and then put them back in the mountains and forests.Now a statue of a Christian saint, Domenica, has replaced the statue of the Greek god Apollo.Celebrations begin on Saint Joseph's Day, March 19, when the first snakes of the season are captured and put in cages.After church, the statue of Saint Domenica is carried through the streets, and villagers put the captured snakes around his statue.Sorne become witches or ghosts; others dress up as trees, goats, and in other very unusual costumes.Every country has its own singular festivals.,...~