The Festival of the Ceri in Gubbio, Italy is one of the oldest folklore displays in Italy dating back to 1160. There are two hypotheses for the origins - one religious seeing it as devotion to Bishop Ubaldo Baldassini, and one pagan seeing it as a harvest festival for the goddess Ceres. The festival features three large wooden structures called Ceri carried through the narrow streets by carriers called ceraioli in a race to the Basilica of St. Ubaldo, requiring great strength to keep them upright without falling.

1. La festa dei ceri

2. Origin
the Festival of the
Ceri It is one of the
oldest, if not the
oldest Italian
folklore display.
there are two basic
hypotheses: one
religious and one
pagan.

3. The first,out sees the festival as a solemn act of devotion
on the part of the Eugubini towards their Bishop Ubaldo
Baldassini which started in 1160, the year of his death.

4. The second theory, sees
the festival as being a
continuation of a pagan
festival in honour of
Ceres, goddess of the
harvest.

5. The candles

6. The top peg is used to fix one of the three little statues
who represent the saints who protect the corporations: St
Ubaldo for the builders, St George for the shopkeepers
and St Anthony for the country folk.

7. Taking a leading role in
the festival, all the people
of Gubbio can be ceraioli,
either through birth or
merit.
The women, who cheer
and support the Ceri,
never carry them.
characters of the
representation

8. After the bishop's blessing,
the race starts.

9. The colourful
crowds separate
as if by miracle
to leave way for
the Ceri to run
through the
narrow medieval
streets, well
placed on the
robust shoulders
of the ceraioli,
swaying
alarmingly,
grazing and
sometimes
touching walls
and windows.

10. With great ability and years of experience, the ceraioli manage to
prevent dangerous accidents, even though they slip and often fall,
especially when it is rainy. The test of great strength and ability is to
make the Cero run as far as possible keeping it upright, without
letting it fall or swing over.

11. This is the
victory,
bearing in
mind that there
is no such thing
as over-taking
in this race: the
Ceri arrive at
the top of the
mountain in the
same order that
they left in: St
Ubaldo, St
George and St
Anthony.

12. The Finish. the Ceri arrive at the steps of the Basilica of St
Ubaldo, and here the race ends with the "abbassata", the
lowering of the Ceri so that they can go through the main door,
the climbing of the steps and the closing of the door at the top of
them.

13. The final lowering
of the Ceri is
spectacular
because it
happens while the
Ceri are still
running, and it
also involves a
contest between St
Ubaldo and St
George over the
closing of the door.