| A
Sepulcher inside the church of St. Antuono |
|
| RELIGION (1) |
| During the days when the Sepulchers were venerated,
all house-cleaning for Easter was suspended. It
was also the custom to reserve as charms some objects
from the Sepulchers. |
|
The ashes contained in the plate where the votive
lamp stood, were scattered in a field of chick peas
to prevent pests from attacking the plants; the
barley seedlings, after serving their purpose as
decoration on a Sepulcher, were taken to the wheat
fields to promote an abundant yield; the candle
stumps were stuck at the top of a cross made of
reed, which was later placed in the vineyards also
to favor an abundant harvest. |
*** |
| On June 23, the eve of Saint John’s, it
was customary to pour egg white in a glass which
was then placed on a windowsill so that the next
day the future could be foretold by interpreting
the shapes formed by the egg whites during the cool
of the night. |
|
|
The blossoming of a burned thistle (also on the eve of St.
John’s) was another good omen. During the daytime the thistles
were gathered and later, at home, the largest one was picked to
be charred over the fire; the thin petals would curl up and a
brown patina would cover the upper part of the blossom.
|
| Then the thistle was cut and placed in a vase with water. People
made a wish, and the following day, if the thistle had blossomed,
it was a sign the wish would come true. |
*** |
In the evening, after supper, the house could
not be swept for fear that the guardian angel would leave; therefore
the table was cleared immediately for fear the angel, who presided
over the meal, would be unduly detained. |
*** |
When setting a hen to brood, the lady of the
house uttered a sacred invocation as an omen to insure the hatching
of chicks: “Holy Savior, all hens and one rooster”. |
A
similar invocation was used when planting a tree or a flower:
“Saint Francesca, let it take or let it wither”. |
*** |
According to tradition, whoever had a sty on
his eyelid was an ingrate. It was treated by making a sign of
the cross on the sty. |
*** |
| To be ward off malicious influences, it was customary to keep
a horse shoe behind the entrance door and to wear little magical
pouches, horns of ivory or coral and scapulars with the image of
the Madonna or some tutelary saint. |
|
