The scourging rites which still take place in Calabria during Holy Week are rituals that can be traced back to ancient practices of mortification of the flesh and the spirit for devotional purposes, as well as blood regeneration, virility and vitality practices. After a brief and intimate preparation the knockers appear suddenly. They start their ritual by striking with force on the thighs with a "cardillo" (a cork stopper with thirteen glasses fragments stuck in one of the ends and welded with wax) and marking with his own blood the square outside the church and the votive chapels.
Domenico Iannantuono is an Italian photographer based in Puglia.
A whole series of interests such as art, music and travel converge in his photography.
Particularly sensitive to issues related to the world of work and human rights, fascinated by religious anthropology and socio-cultural changes.
He makes reportage the most important point of his work.
