 |
 |
|
|
THE CART RACE |
  
|
| At San Martino in Pensilis the story goes that the remains of Saint Leo, which reached Molise in a miraculous way towards the end of the thirteenth century, were disputed by various communities. To settle the dispute it was decided to place the Saint's relics on a cart drawn by a pair of oxen and to let the Saint decide where to stop. The oxen ran for a long time and finally came to San Martino, went all the way along the Via Marina and stopped in front of the Church of Santa Maria, to the amazement of the crowd. Since those days long ago, every day on 30 April the ritual of the race of the ox-drawn cart is renewed. The partecipants, divided into the factions of the "young men" and the "youths", start off from the sheep track outside the town and make their way to the streets in the centre, in a spectacular race among the excitement and cheers of the crowd. The winning cart has the honour of carrying the statue of St.Leo in the procession. The festivity is deeply rooted in the people and, despite the passing of time, its fascination has remained intact. The race at San Martino is the longest cart race, so during the competition it is possible to change the oxen.
|
||
