RTR2CCMQ
2 Apr. 2010
Verbicaro, Italy
Handprints marked in the blood of penitents called battenti, or beaters, are seen during a procession through the streets in the town of Verbicaro, southern Italy April 2, 2010. The penitents hit their legs with a "cardillo" (a cork with attached pieces of glass), and then, bleeding, walk in groups of three through the streets and stop in front of all the churches and chapels in the town. The tradition began in the thirteenth century and serves as penitence for Christ's death. REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi (ITALY - Tags: RELIGION)
