The Giraffe? It Stinks

Sienese district or ward flags. (From: Wikipedia)

"An extreme example of a city where ward membership has provoked passionate feelings since the thirteenth century is that of the Italian city of Siena. Each Sienese ward still has its own flag today, its colors, its symbols. There is the ward of the Eagle, the ward of the Snail, Owl, Tortoise, Giraffe, Goose--and so on. The modern Sienese still know precisely where the boundaries of their wards are drawn. Being 'of the Goose' or 'of the Giraffe' is a matter of great importance in Siena. Children are brought up to be proud of their own ward and contemptuous of rival ones. A Giraffe mother will spoon-feed her baby, saying 'One for mummy, one for daddy, one for the Giraffe.' The same mother will then condition the child to dislike the rival ward of the Caterpillar by saying: 'And this one is for the Caterpillar,' only to withdraw the spoon quickly, just as the baby opens its mouth. A two-year-old boy wearing a scarf with the Caterpillar colors is asked his name. 'Marco,' he says. 'And how old are you?' is the next question. Marco holds up two fingers. Then he is asked: 'How is the Caterpillar?' 'Bello [It is beautiful],' he replies. 'And what about the Giraffe?' 'It stinks,' says the child." (36) --George Huppert, After the Black Death: A Social History of Early Modern Europe