East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1922-07-12
STRANGE CEREMONIES
AT ITALIAN FESTIVAL
BY ALICE RoIIE i
written for the United Press.)

wv illtSll lOl tIit lJullcu- Titss.y
GUBBIO, italy (By Mail to United
Press) Scenes reminiscent of the
days of tree worship back in the very
dawn of history, have just been wit
messed in this ancient Italian town.
Pagan ceremoniaIs, connected with
the Vigil Of st. Ubaido. which have
been condemned by two Popes ana
banned by Napoleon, were carried out
with Bacchanalian fervor.
THE Elevation and Procession of
the Candles is the English name of
the festival which set Gubbio, one of
the five oldest towns in Italy, afire
with fervor.
| At noon the convent OF Santa
Lucia there is feast going on which
| is attended by the Ceraiol, or candle =
| bearers. All Gubbia is awaiting the
| proceedings here, for as soon as the
| white bloused, red-capped Ceraioli
| finish eating, they rush out into the
| courtyard where three huge wooden
obeHsk-like affairs are lying. These
are the so-called Ceri, though many
thing the names comes from the God
| dess of fertility, Ceres, instead of from
wax candles. Besides them are huge
| wooden shafts of frames. The out
| rush of Ceraioli reveals them in three
| distinct groups, one bearing an image
sf st. Ubaldo the patron saint of Cub
| bio, and representing the stone mas
! ons; another the image Of st, George,
| representing the merchants, and
| third, st. Anthony, carrying in his
, hand q ball OF fire, representing the
peasants.
The levation of the Ceri, which are
! twelve feet in height the placing OF
| the images on the pinnacles, is the
| great competition. The winner is, of
| course, hailed with shouts Of Joy. AS
| soon as the Ceri are raised, a jug of
| water is poured over each--the an
| cient lustration rite described in the
| Eugubine tablets being seen in this
| act. When the Ebation has been
poured out, the jig is thrown to the
| ground and broken
| Then through the narrow streets of
| Gubbio, each taking different route,
a mad rush begins. Already the
'Ceraioli have been given plenty of
] wine but now, looking down medie-
| val street before picturesque stone
AAo'''S,, pb may oCV lllC 1lubICAIi6
robes Of st. Ubaldo swiriing before an
ancient house. Three times round
goes the gyration, which means that
here is an offering OF. wine to the
Ceraioli 5@#
| For several hours the Cer are plac-
ed at the head of the Via Dante and
the Ceraioll spend the hours in song
and recreation. Then at vespers an
interesting ceremonial takes place.
The bic bell in the Palace of the
Councillors announces that the arch
bishop in procession, with a banner of
st. Ubaldo, is leaving the Cathedral
to give his benediction to the Ger. :,
When the religious procession
reaches the Via Dante, the Ceri have
been once more placed upon the
shoulders of the CaraioIi. Ge soon as
the benedietion is given, the, CeraoH,
preceded and surrounded by huge
crowd, rush from the Via Xante into
the Corso
At the end of the street stop is
made and wine is offered. Then the
rush is made toward the Piazza
! Grande, where three turns are made
before the mayor seated in window
of the Municipio. Once more the
Ceri are taken on wild-run, this time
toward the commanding Mt. Iguvio.
Reaching the monastery at the sum-
NIT, the images are taken from the
Ceri and the huge obelisks placed in
their resting place till next year.
In the dusk the Ceraioli descend the
mountain to town illuminated with
myraid liehts. They return singing
songs of st. Ubaldo and carrying the :
images of the three saints back to the
church of the stone masons. The
fiesta is over until next year