The Sunday after Easter there was a grand blessing of tractors ceremony in Roccaforte. It's only a small village but there must have been at least fifty tractors assembled in the square waiting for mass to finish and the parade to begin.
There was every sort of tractor you can imagine there from tiny home-made looking things to old well-worn machines to huge shiny monsters with wheels taller than me.
You may not get an accurate representation of the noise from this short clip but believe me the noise of fifty tractor horns blaring is not something you want to experience every day!
What struck me was that every single driver and passenger crossed themselves as the priest threw holy water on the tractor. But what do I know, apparently, I'm going to hell. There are lots of good things about the RC church and I know a number of true Christians who belong to it but, as with all denominations it has its peculiarities too.
3 comments:
Years ago in Newfoundland, there would be a blessing of the fishing boats before the season started. I’d never heard of the same for tractors but it is interesting.
I like the little wee one with the Italian flag painted on it!
Ancient tradition, blessing the means of livelihood. Crossing yourself is an acknowledgment of the blessing, a form of politeness.
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