Contrade of His

Historical origin

The contrade corresponded, at the time of His city-state rival of Florence on Tuscany, with subdivisions of the city in which the soldiers, by contrade, formed a different regiment when the Sienan army left in war.

At that time, raised companies, been dependant on the districts of the city, bearing the name of contrade , were fifty. Although His gained the Bataille of Montaperti, it ends up losing the advantage against Florence

Moreover, in 1348, it was devastated by the black Peste, and never managed again to compete with Florence. The republic of His was completed at the end of the named military countryside " war of Sienne" , carried out by Médicis of Florence in 1555, at the conclusion which His was dominated a such colony by its former rival and was prohibited to raise an army.

The contrades lost their military statute, became cultural and social for their inhabitants, and were réduirent with the wire of time until the number of seventeen.

The subsistence of the contrades in the Sienan culture is thus a business which holds in the middle of the population, which asserts this identity all the more strong as it brings back them at that time where the city was free of any external obedience.

Ten seven contrades

One could believe that the contrades take life only at the time of the Palio of His.

At present, His counts 17 contrade , almost all bearing a name of animal: the Tower, the Eagle, the Snail, the Wave, the Panther, the Tortoise, Selva (Forest), the Owl, the Unicorn, the Shell, the Ram, the Caterpillar, the Dragon, the Giraffe, the Hedgehog, the She-wolf and the Goose.

Before 1675, existed also six other contrade , the Oak, the Viper, the Bear, the Lion, the Cock and the Sword. These contrade was disqualified for their violences. Nevertheless, they always ravel, at the sides of the others, in the traditional procession of flag-holder, of drums and bell ringers of horn, which precedes the race.

The three which does not carry name of the guardian animal are identified all the same, on the blazon, with animals:

Wave: a dolphin;
Selva: an rhinoceros in front of a tree, appearing the forest;
Turn: an elephant carrying a tower of war (like the Indian elephants of war).

Three terzi

The old city is divided into three third , which cuts out it:

Terzo di Camollìa (third of the Camellia)
Terzo di Città (third of the Quoted)
Terzo di San Martino (third of holy Martin)

source:

Distinctive elements

Each contrade has elements which distinguishes it from the others.

a guardian animal
two or three distinctive colors
a reason on the blazon
the terzo in which the district of the contrade
is a currency of fastening
a cabalistic Numéro
a denomination supplements dating from the time of the military companies (ex: Contrada Capitana dell' Onda for the Contrade of the Wave).

patron saint among the Christian calendar, to which it dedicates

a date of festival of the contrade, corresponding to patron saint.

a vault in which the fantino (jockey) and its horse are blessed before the race

one or more contrades allied during Palio
an unfavourable contrade

note : it is not a question of an enmity but of a competition only to the palio; these alliances and competitions play enormously in the negociations between riders before the race.

a museum (containing the palios (streamers price of the race) gained previously by the contrade)

a company (taken with the direction social club with bar, village hall and room of activities)
an head office

Social life of an inhabitant of His

An inhabitant who was born in one from the streets from the old city referring to the one contrade will profit all his life from the possibility of supporting his district. He is baptized by the prior of his contrade, while growing he can play in the village hall at the time of the festival of the contrade. Adult, it is to support with the palio (it is told that the couples are demolished for the time of the race when each one belonged to a different participating contrade, so much the stakes are important for the supporters). One finds once members, time old, to paint in the back-yard the lampions with the color of the contrade which will decorate the streets with the district at the time of the next employers' festival.

As this identity belongs to the inhabitants, not to denature it they do not make promotion of it outside. The tourist office of information has very little information on the addresses of the seats located downtown. So that a tourist can pass very well in the main street of a contrade and not to realize particularism.

Contrades and the palio

The “contradaioli” are the supporters of their contrade. Each one bears a name referring to the contrade. For example, the supporters of Onda are the Ondaioli . They make use of scarves to the colors of the contrade and come vêtus such from the supporters from football in Palio. The scarves are those which are sold by the head office of the contrade, out of silk coloured on each face, and not the pale copies which appear in the shops bound for the tourists.

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Random links:

Tieule | French law on the patronage | Abbey of Mills-Warnant | Punk Gaelic | Montants_de_Julia