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Carnival of the Deer Man
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When:
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27 Feb 2009 (annual)
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Where:
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Castelnuovo del Volturno
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| Opening Hours: |
From 5pm
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An epic struggle of redemption between a deer-like beastman and the forces of good, represented by St Martin and a hunter, takes place every year on the last Sunday of Carnival in Castelnuovo del Volturno.
The antlered beast, played by a local man dressed in furs, descends from the hills, wreaking symbolic havoc among the herds and cattle, until confronted by the saintly Friar Martin, dressed in a somewhat unorthodox conical "fairy-hat".
The holy man fends off the beast and captures it, but the raging creature escapes, before finally being brought down by a hunter, who then blows softly into its ear and revives it. This resurrection counts as a purification for the beast and the whole community, whose sins and transgressions are represented in the monstrous deer-man figure. With the sins and evils of the past year banished and destroyed, a good harvest and an auspicious coming year are assured.
This frankly pagan ritual, called the rito del cervo, or "rite of the deer", is of uncertain origins, but clearly predates Christianity. An unmissable, refreshing dip into the the archaic folklore and living religious history of the region.
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