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Usually on the 16th of June every year, the eve of the famous feast day of Saint Ranieri, the main patron of the Saint of Pisa is celebrated all over Italy. The traditional buildings across the Arno River are changed into more of a fairy land appearance. The surroundings buildings are illuminated with more than seventy thousand lumini flames. More than thousand candles are floated on the rivers to embrace this particular occasion.
In this festival, candles are placed over the wooden sticks and the total structure is usually fitted on the rooftops, balconies and window ledges so that their glow can be witnessed from a long distance. The very next day is celebrated as the onset of the historic Regatta of Saint Ranieri. The usual regatta consists of four boats each one of which represents a particular Pisan district. The most important rule of this regatta is that the crew must row against the water current covering the entire stretch of 1500 meters.
These boats are usually maintained by well trained oarsmen who are found to be eight in number. In addition to this, there comes an extra steersman and another specialized person, who upon the arrival of the finishing point, needs to climb a long rope of 25 meters in an attempt to grab the Palio and signify the victory of his team. Upon winning the Regatta, the winning team is awarded with animals in the likes of Ox, Sheep, Pig and Rooster, apart from the usual Palio.
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