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| Tropea (VV), Calabria |
Coinciding with the Feast of the Finding of the Holy Cross by St. Helena on May 3rd, Tropea's annual Festa di I Tri da Cruci (Feast of The Three Crosses) commemorates the discovery of three crosses that survived the destruction of an old church by a violent hurricane and their translation to the Chiesa di San Michele Arcangelo (delle anime del Purgatorio).
During the celebration, the Trupiani also recall the expulsion of the Saracens from Tropea, "The pearl of the Tyrrhenian Sea," who for centuries harried the Coast of the Gods, Calabria's northern seaboard, for tribute and slaves. In what's facetiously called, il camiuzzi I focu, or "the dance of the burning camel," an effigy of the hated Moslem tribute-collector is paraded around town then set aflame with fireworks to the delight of the revelers.
The festival also evokes the memory of the town's victorious soldiers, particularly the heroic Colonel Gaspare Toraldo, who captured a Turkish ship and her crew—including its captain, Rais Zesbinassan, at the Battle of Lepanto on October 7th, 1571. The Holy League's miraculous triumph over the menacing Ottoman Empire during the famous sea-battle dealt a crushing blow to Turkish designs on conquering the Italian peninsula.
In celebration, I'm posting a Prayer in Honor of the Holy Cross.
Prayer in Honor of the Holy Cross
In celebration, I'm posting a Prayer in Honor of the Holy Cross.
Prayer in Honor of the Holy Cross
O God, Who didst will to hallow the standard of the life-giving Cross by the Precious Blood of Thine only-begotten Son; grant, we beseech Thee, that they who rejoice in honoring the same holy Cross, may rejoice also in Thine ever-present protection. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
