Siena and the Contrade 

The city of Siena has an old tradition which finds its expression in a horse race called Palio . The roots of this traditon lay in medieval times. Very important for the trasmission of this tradition are the Contrade . The centre of Siena is divided in three parts called the terzi . Terzo di Camollia , Terzo di città  and Terzo di San Martino . In these terzi  the territories of the Contrade  are situated.

Today there are 17 Contrade  in Siena which are: Aquila, Bruco, Chiocciola, Civetta, Drago, Giraffa, Istrice, Leocorno, Lupa, Nicchio, Oca, Onda, Pantera, Selva, Tartuca, Torre, Valdimontone .
There used to be more. Especially 6 of these are remembered, they are called the suppressed Contrade: Gallo, Leone, Orso, Quercia, Spadaforte, Vipera 

What is a Contrada ?

Once it was held that the Contradas  have first been military companies but it is more likely that Contradas  developed first and then incorporated the military companies on their territory. They represent certain arts and guilds which shall point out that these guilds once operated on that given territory. But Contrada  is not a synonym for the guild it represents. Contrada  today describes on the one hand a part of town on the other it defines a legal entity, which owns a territory. A Contrada  organizes several educational, recreational, theatrical and gastronomical events and promotes even mutual aid activities or sports on its territory. The territorial divisons as we find them today are the outcome of a resolution Violante from Bavaria passed in 1729 to settle disputes between the entities who struggled for borderlines and therefore for taxpayers. Active members of a Contrada  often call their territory rione  which also means part of a city. Such active members of a Contrada  are called gernerally Contradaioli , but for each Contrada  as you will learn there is a specification, which you will find together with the informations to every single Contrada . Contradas  participate in the Palio . As legal entities they entertain official diplomatic relations with each other or even with other towns. They define themselves as 17 different peoples with 17 different states in the city of Siena.

How do I become a Contradaiolo ?

The official membership begins on the day of your battesimo contradaiolo  that is your Contradaiolo  baptism. This profan ritual has only been introduced after the second World War. The baptism is a big family feast normally celebrated during the Contrada's  feast day in honor to its Patron Saint the festa titolare . On that day you'll be baptized in the fountain of your Contrada , a scarf of your Contrada  and a certificate will be given to you. From now on until your death you will be part of that Contrada .

How do I recognize membership?

Each Contrada  has her own insignia, flag and colors, so that it is possible not only to recognize Contradaioli  because they wave their flags but also just by the symbols an elefant, a turtle, an owl (which means here: I am from Torre , from Tartuca , from Civetta ) or just by the colors they wear like yellow-blue-black, white-green-red, yellow-green-blue (which means here: I am from Aquila , from Oca , from Bruco ). Each territory is marked by the symbol and especially during the Palio  time Contradaiolis  make clear to which Contrada  they belong or by wearing their colors or their symbol somehow or even by wearing their more typical fazzoletto  a scarf in the colors and with the symbol of the Contrada .
The flags of all Contradas  have undegone a long process of changing. You will find the latest version of them in the summaries.

What are allies and adversaries?

It is a long story and not always easy to understand. Between two Contradas  there is always one relationship out of four possible ones. These four are: friendship, alliance, enmity, indifference. So all you need to know is just where to put whom. This gives you the instructions of how to treat or even not to treat somebody. Normally it is believed that the own Contrada  is the best and there exist songs that praise it. These are sung especially during the Palio . The melody is always the same but the text changes according to which Contrada  it sings. There is even a song for children to explain how the other Contradaioli  are like. This song has 17 verses but obviously you would sing only 16 submitting the line which describes your own Contrada  in a bad manner.
The fact that normally a Contrada  of the immediate neighbourhood is an adversary may be explained by the old struggles for the borderline. But the two most adversaries you can think of are no neighbours: Torre  and Oca , Tower and Goose. This is the most interesting and intensing relationship two Contradas  have. It is even ritualized in a kind of tic-for-toe singing game betwen these two where there are various possibilities to provoke and answer a provocation.

What does membership mean?

It is often said that non-Senesi  cannot understand what it means to be a Contradaiolo . Maybe this is right. You have to feel it!! As a Contradaiolo  you know fearly all members of your Contrada  because you grew up with them, participated in the several activities your Contrada  offers. You are baptized in the fountain of your Contrada  and maybe your parents married in the oratory of the Contrada  where you will hopefully marry too. You know all the songs which are sung during Palio  time and can identify to which Contrada  people belong by hearing their songs or seeing their colors. You know who your allies are and you know your adversaries. You cried with your people when you lost the Palio  and you cried with them of joy when you won it. Two times a year all this gets very important: Knowing where you are coming from and expressing it!

What informations you will find for each Contrada  

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©1996 Sandra Liebscher

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