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July 2nd is:
Festival of the Palio
The Palio of the Contrade is a horse race that has been held in Siena, Tuscany, Italy, twice a year since the 13th century. Each time 10 of Siena’s 17 contrade,
or “ward organizations”—which now are social clubs but in the Middle
Ages were rival military companies—competes, hiring a professional
jockey and selecting his attendants. The 10 contrades that will
participate are determined by a drawing. Each contrade also has its own
animal symbol, flag, color, museum, church, and motto. In medieval
costume and with banners flying, the riders form a procession which
carries the Palio, painted silk standards, through the city streets.
The race itself is run in the city’s main square, the Piazza del
Campo. There is intense rivalry, distrust, cheating, fixing, and
bribery and frequent fights. The jockeys ride bareback, each holding a
whip which he can use on his opponents’ horses as well as on his own.
Riders for the finalist contrade race three times around the Piazza,
and the winning contrade receives the Palio to hang on its church until
the next festival. Revelry and merrymaking continue until dawn, and the
winning jockey is honored with a victory dinner.
The second big race, held on August 16, is known as Madonna del Voto Day in honor of the Virgin Mary. From Holidays, Festivals, and Celebrations of the World Dictionary |
