Festivals Of The Horns, Rome

On the second Saturday in November the town of Rocca Canterano near Rome holds its annual Festa del Cornuto (or Festival of Horns, Feast of the Cuckold) where any unfortunate individual, who has been betrayed by a fickle partner, can be consoled by a parade in their honour. In Italy “horns” are a metaphor for having been cheated on by a partner. It is thought that the term dates from the Roman empire, when heroic soldiers returning from battle were given horns as a prize, but may have come back to find defeat in their own beds. The gesture of the horned hand is meant to convey that a person is being cheated on by his other half. Horned paraders follow floats through the streets with actors reciting satirical stories of betrayals and love gone generally awry. America’s former first lady, Hilary Clinton, has been lucky enough to be made an unofficial patroness. The town of Barletta in Southern Italy also holds a similar event around the same time in conjunction with their Fiera di San Martino (St Martin’s day fair) on November 11th (the Saint’s feast day) or the weekend around that date.