Pardo

Name of a 6th Century saint associated with the town of Larino, Italy. Believed to have been born in the Peloponnese, Pardo spent three years preaching in Larino before settling in the nearby town of Lucera. He is commonly portrayed as a little old man with a long white beard, missing a thumb. The cathedral of Larino is dedicated to him, and a festival is held in the town every year from 25-27 May in which families decorate numerous carts with paper flowers; the carts, ridden by the local children, are then pulled through the streets by oxen in a procession along with the statue and relics of San Pardo.