100 Places in Greece Every Woman Should Go: The Snakes of Kefalonia
To celebrate the publication of my book, 100 Places in Greece Every Woman Should Go, (thank you to all who have ordered it!) I will be featuring images of each chapter. This week is Chapter 42: Of Healing Serpents and Mummified Saints.
Every August 15th, the feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, thousands of snakes miraculously appear in a church located in the remote mountain village of Markopoulo on the Ionian island of Kefalonia. The legend of the mysterious serpents dates to 1705, when pirates attacked a monastery in the area. To avoid being captured, the nuns prayed to the Virgin Mary and were changed into snakes. Today, thousands of people, such as the little girl pictured above, flock to the village in order to handle the snakes, which the locals believe bring healing, and the region is thought of as Greece's Lourdes.
Of all things, why must it be snakes?! lol I admit I would still like to participate in this.
ReplyDeleteMichelle, It was a fascinating experience that I will never forget~
DeleteVery cool. I have NEVER heard of that. But, as Indiana Jones said "Snakes. Why does it always have to be snakes"?
ReplyDeleteHaha - yes! Why does it always have to be snakes! :))
DeleteDo they really appear? Strange!
ReplyDeleteOla, Yes, they really do appear around the middle of August every year. The only year they did not was in 1953 right before a devastating earthquake in the Ionian chain.
DeleteCool photo! At about that age, I caught a snake and kept him as a pet. Then I had a store bought pet snake after that. Soon after my parents bought me a cat and that was the end of snakes for me.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the release of your book! You are making me want to plan a trip to Greece. Will the book be available in the UK next spring? I'll be on sabbatical and sooner order the book there.
Hi Sarah, My book is currently available at Barnes and Noble and from Amazon - not sure about England though!
DeleteI don't like snakes. At all. Even the teeny, tiny ones. Bur I don't mind lizards. Weird. Maybe it's because snakes have no legs.
ReplyDeleteLoree, I love lizards too - especially the little ones that do push-ups!
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