A nun kisses a small snake considered to bring luck in the village of Markopoulo on the Ionian island of Cephalonia yesterday. Once a year, on August 15, many believers of Christian tradition touch small snakes and place them on their bodies in order to summon good luck. The small serpents, which have a cross-like marking on their heads, emerge near the town's bell tower and make their way into the church, entering it through holes created by bell ropes. Locals say they only see the snakes during the period around this time of year, which celebrates the Dormition of the Virgin.