European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 13, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Bloody penance in an italian Village by Candida Sansone Mediterranean Bureau in the name of the blessed Virgin  that command the mass ended hundreds of men dressed in White Robes and hoods resembling those of the Klu flux klan began pounding their chests with Large corks imbedded with nails continuing their penance the men left the Church and paraded through the Village of Guardia Sant Ramondi about 40 Miles Northeast of Naples Italy. They continued beating themselves with the corks which they held in their right hands while carrying Small crucifixes and pictures of the Virgin Mary in their left hands thousands of spectators crammed the streets to see this Long awaited bloody scene. Many of them not being Able to Cope with it All. Fainted. Every seven years Guardia san Ramondos 6,000 inhabitants celebrate Assumption Day with a procession that includes the Battenti beaters. This Celebration commemorates the Virgin Mary s Assumption into heaven. Throughout Italy the Day is observed As a religious Holiday and each Community celebrates in its own Way. But the beaters Only give penance once every seven years and Only in Guardia Sanframonti. Although the roman Catholic Church does not recognize this ritual the inhabitants of Guardia Sanframonti have continued to observe it for centuries. This year More than 80,000 spectators watched last month s medieval ceremony. The ritual began in 1436 when a statue of the Virgin Mary was found by a pig Farmer in nearby Limata. The people in the surrounding villages heard about the discovery and Many attempted to steal the statue for their communities. No one was successful because it was Loo heavy. According to tradition a Blind Man who lived in Guardia san Ramondi insisted on being taken to the statue. As soon As he got there he was Able to see. He told people that the baby held by the Virgin Mary was holding a Large Cork with nails. This meant that to lift the statue the villagers should beat themselves with Nail studded corks. They did and according to legend the statue became Light enough to carry. Since that Day the people of Guardia Sanframonti Battenti or beaters walk in a process on while hitting themselves with Nail imbedded corks. Conduct the beating ritual every seven years no one is certain Why there to a seven year interval but it is believed to be related to the symbolic importance of the number seven in the Bible. There Are 33 nails in the beaters corks each Nail representing a year in Christ s Lite. Today there Are More than 560 beaters who give penance to Mary in this painful fashion. The beaters go to the Church in the morning some people Start off As Early As 6 in the morning that s Why you see some of them with More blood than others said a villager. They enter the Church in Plain clothes and go into a room called la Chie Setla Del Sangue sparse the Chapel Laden with blood where they change into their White tunics and hoods so that they cannot be  mister biblical scenes with lavish costumes also play a role in the procession which can last up to 12 hours. A Guardia Sanframonti native who left the Village 28 years ago returned this year to see the ceremony. I was present when i was a Little girl but then i Well to England and did t see it for Many years. I knew it was taking place this year and had to come Over to watch it it s amazing How much it has grown since i was Small said Maria Perretta. A week before the procession takes place the Otto ii fix is Petty Offir 2nd cub Kwi rot dip Guardia Sanframonti residents re enact a scene from the Lite Oft Francis. People of the Village take turns staying up All night to watch Over the statue. On the morning of the big Day the statue is covered with Gold jewelry about 15 pounds in total then mass is celebrated. Before the statue is presented to the Public the beaters hit themselves until blood begins to flow. Only then can the statue be removed from its Glass Case so the procession can begin. Anyone from the town can participate but generally Only those who have received some kind of Miracle from the Madonna sacrifice themselves said a villager. In some families it is a tradition which has been carried on for years because of some great Miracle that happened to one of their  about Halfway through the procession the beaters Kneel at the foot of the statue and hit themselves even harder. They then disappear to remove their tunics and reappear As the procession ends to take the statue Back into the Church. Only the beaters Are allowed to take the Virgin Mary into the Church said the villager. When asked if he was Ever a beater himself the villager said non is Dice i can t say and abruptly turned away and changed the subject. It would be difficult to determine if he was Ever a beater. According to tradition beaters wounds Are completely healed the next Day and leave no scars. Enn Bombeck it s a scenario right out of Stephen King or Indiana Jones. You Are driving a shopping cart with a kid or two attached to it like magnets to the refrigerator when you come to Stop at the checkout. But wait the woman in front of you has bought enough food to feed the third world. She has coupons sewn into the lining of her coat. She has a Check that is drawn on a Bank in Cuba. There is a Price Check being pursued by a Slock boy who can t find his Way out of bed. You cannot move Forward. You try to Back up your cart but someone is behind you. You Are trapped in the dreaded Valley of template Ion to the right of you is sugar City to the left is tabloid Alley. You Are surrounded by balloons Bubble gum paperbacks trial sizes of anything razor Blades nose drops to guide breath mints Taco chips and ballpoint pens. On Cue the children in the cart come alive. Little fingers work the rows of goodies like scissors. It becomes a race against the Odds. If they can get the packages to their Mouths and slobber on them before you can slap their hands they win. You have to pay for them. This is unofficial but every second you Are in limbo in the Valley of temptation you can add $2 to your Bill. Not Only Are children Given to buyers frenzy but you Are incapable of turning your eyes away from the headlines that Promise to show you pictures of Donna Mills without Eye makeup and pigs who jog. Decisions. Can your body go for an entire Day without a Roseanne Barr gossip fix or will it go into Shock is it True that Morion Downeyjr. Is teaming up with Imelda Marcos to sing at the Sahara in vegas it s All a matter of How much you want to pay to feed your inquiring mind. The Valley of temptation has always been a real Boon for supermarkets. Children who scream themselves into a coma Are responsible Tor a Large slice of their Revenue. There Are no solutions in sight. A supermarket Chain in Florida has instituted a new self service policy in which there is no waiting. The customer empties her own cart runs her own groceries Over the scanner and pays the Tab while a bag boy sacks them up and lakes them to her car. But that still leaves a child alone and laminated Between All those impulse items. Sometimes life has no detours c 1989 Emu Bomick Page 16 the stars and stripes wednesday september 13,1989