A local man told VOA it means so much for the people here and it is beautiful, exciting. He says there are no words to describe it because it is enough to see the people, how they think and what they feel.

Guardia Sanframondi Mayor Floriano Panza said this is a rite that has gone on for centuries and everyone in the town joins in. He said that here there are thousands of people who take on a role with great passion. For many of them it is a religious passion, for others it is a human and civil passion, taking part in the rite of a community. He says it is their identity.

Despite the blood, those who take part in the procession say they feel no pain, only happiness. Participants do not want to discuss their feelings. They say it is too personal. They also do not want people to interfere in what they have chosen to do. For them it is all about renewal and purification of the soul.

Father Filippo is in charge of the town's Basilica of Our Lady of the Assumption. He said faith is of utmost importance, and without faith they would not have this rite every seven years in honor of the Virgin Mary. It is a special relationship the people have with this Mother who was given to us by her Son as he died on the Cross.

The phenomenon continues to grow as more and more people take part in the penitential rite. The next one will be in 2017.