The Brotherhood of Purgatory at Gradoli organizes a special lunch held on Ash Wednesday to celebrate the end of Carnival and the beginning of the fasting period.
Lunch of Purgatory - Il Pranzo del Purgatorio, was set up in the fourteenth century, to remember the fallen in a revolt against the heavy oppression, imposed by the Papacy.
Since Shrove Tuesday the sixty members of the brotherhood, dressed in brown with a long purple hood, go running from house to house collecting items that are then sold at auction.
With the proceeds going to funding a feast of strictly lean foods like beans, cod, fish, and with the famous local wines.
During lunch they pray for the souls in Purgatory.
Lunch of Purgatory is cooked by male members of the Brotherhood and women have been able to participate in the lunch only since the fifties.
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