Festival of the Ceri 2011

The traditional race "Corsa dei Ceri" , takes place in Gubbio on 15th May, as every year, on the occasion of the day dedicated to the saint Patron of Gubbio St. Ubaldo.

The feast is one of the oldest festivals in Italy, dating back to 1160, and it is celebrated on 15th May, on the eve of St. Ubaldo's death, he was actually Gubbio's Bishop from 1129 to 1160. The feast is characterized by the traditional Corsa dei Ceri, a real race where the Ceraioli carry 3 huge Ceri (wooden structures made of two octagonal prisms, one on top of the other), weighting more than 400 Kilos, with different colors according to the Saint depicted, i.e. yellow for St. Ubaldo, light blue for St. George and black for St. Antony. The Ceri are carried along the streets of Gubbio along a 4 Km. route until the Basilica on the mount Igino, where the St. Ubaldo's shrine is kept.

The tradition of this race recalls the pilgrimage which citizens from Gubbio made on 15th May 1160, to honor their dead bishop, when the crowd began a procession holding candles in their hands. The representatives of arts and crafts of Gubbio brought three big wooden candles covered by wax.

Following the modern evolution of this event the Ceraioli meet on 15th May, early in the morning, in order to choose two captains of the Ceri: after the toll of the bell in the Palazzo dei Consoli the Ceri are lifted in the air. At 18.00 the race begins: the Ceri are blessed and they start their route along the streets of Gubbio, carried by Ceraioli on their shoulder, up to the Basilica of St. Ubaldo.

The winner is chosen by the whole population of the city: they will decide who was the best bearer of the day.