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The ancient land of Sardinia is tight bound with his own traditions, above all with the religious ones. Every month of the year a feast can’t be missing somewhere in the island.
Anyway, most of them are concentrated in the period from April-May to October
As all the society, devoted to agriculture and stock-raising, the everyday life in Sardinia was regulated by agrarian year. The rules of the land and its productive cycles give rise to feasts; considered as a moment of gathering, pray and of propitiator ritual in order to have a good harvest, or to stop epidemics and famines
In the last years many efforts have been made to recover some of festivals, which are got a bit lost because of the frantic modern life.
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The run of Barefooted
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Run of the Barefooted - San Salvatore - Cabras (OR)
The run of the Barefooted takes place the first Sunday of November. It goes back to 1619, when the local inhabitants were able to save Saint Salvatore’s simulacrum from Saracens, running barefooted through the country.
The legend tells that Saracens, frightened by the great deal of dust, which was raised by the "curridoris" (runners), immediately withdrew. They believed that the dust was raised by a big army. Since then, the run takes place every year to devotion to the Saint.
The faithful, barefooted and white dressed, carry the Saint’s statue in turn, and run to the little church. Nine days after, the first Sunday afternoon of September, the run takes place again, but backwards. Eventually, the joining faithful release from their vow.
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LA SARTIGLIA - Oristano
The last Sunday and The Tuesday of Carnival’s Day in Oristano takes place la Sartiglia, a medieval equestrian tournament of Spanish origin. It was, probably, introduced in Sardinia thanks to the close bonds between the Court of Aragon and the court of Arborea. The Sartiglia could be dated back to the half of XIII century.
The tournament is organized by the "gremi": the tournament of Sunday is organized by the "gremio" of the peasants, the one of Tuesday by the "gremio" of carpenters.
The main figure of Sartiglia is "Su Cumponidori", the supreme head of the run.
His ceremony of taking the habit is very suggestive: he stands on a table and he is be dressed by two dressed up girls, while trumpet blast and drums roll.
During the run, the Horsemen wear a mask. Their aim is to stick with a sword a hanging star (that symbolized fertility)
More the star is stuck, more the harvest will be plentiful.
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La Sartiglia, Oristano. A pic from the tournement
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Carnival of Mamoiada
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CARNIVAL OF MAMOIADA (NU)
In Mamoiada takes place one of the most important carnival parades of the island:
The traditional mask characters are the Mamuthones and the Issohadores. Mamuthones wear black-sheepskins and a black wood mask, characterized by a blank look. On their shoulders and neck they have a lots of cow-bells, tied up with leather hand–made belts.
The Issohadores wear a linen shirt, a red waistcoat, white trousers and a shawl. They carry bronze amd brass harness-bells across their backs. In their hands they hold a long rope ("sa soca"),they catch the onlookers with.
The carnival of Mamoiada losts in the mists of time, we don’t know for certain yet the meaning of this ancient and gloomy ritual. According to one of the most supported thesis, it could be the represention of the capture of a group of Saracenis, who were obliged to wear horrible masks and cow-bells. So the Issadores would symbolize the Sardinian winners.
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REDEEMER’S FEAST – Nuoro
The redeemer is celebrated on 29th August in Nuoro. The feast is one of the most important and suggestive religious displays.
The first edition occurred on 29th August 1901, when a huge statue represented the Redeemer was put up on the top of Ortobene Mountain, a work by Vincenzo e Francesco Ierace, two tons heavy and 12 meters height.
Since then, the statue became destination of a suggestive pilgrimage. A parade of traditional Sardinian costumes from many parts of the island join the pilgrimage and make the feast joyful and richer.
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Sardinian festivity: the Redemeer Feast in Nuoro
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Sardinien festivities: Cagliari Saint Efisio's Feast
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SAINT EFISIO’S FEAST - Cagliari
According to the tradition, the 1st of May is Saint Efisio’s day. In 1657 broke violent pestilence broke up and the population was decimated of about ten thousand people. The country invoked Saint Efisio’s help to stop the plague and in the same time a vow of a solemn rite was made. The plague and its terrible consequences ended and in 1657 the citizen of Cagliari carried Saint Efisios’s simulacrum from the town to the little church of Nora, place where in 305 a.C. the Saint was martyrized.
Since then, once a year, the run to Nora from Cagliari takes place.
The procession starts from Stampace, goes through the little streets of the quarter to Roma street. Then the procession takes La Playa boulevard and continues to Nora: this is the more intimate and less tourist moment of Saint Efisio’s feast.
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THE FEAST OF CANDLESTICKS - Sassari
It’s celebrated on 14th august since more than seven hundred years in honour of The Assumption Virgin. Arond five hundred century, this feast became a vowed one to thank the virgin, who saved the city from three horrible pestilences, the last of them dating back to 1652.
Almost all the inhabitants died. It’s to be noticed that all three epidemics stopped on 14th august. That’s why this feast is a way to thank the Virgin.
For the "faradda" (as the descent of candlestick it’s called in the local dialect), the candlesticks are adorned with holy pictures and colorful ribbons.
The candlesticks are huge wooden columns which symbolize large candles. They are some quintals heavy and they are carried on the bearer’s shoulders during the descendent. One of the main momemts of the feast is the meeting between the representative of the nine "gremi" (the organizers) and the municipality, that is the major and municipal administration.
The farrada is above all the feast of all the inhabitants of Sassari. On the occasion of this feast, the emigrants who go back to Sassari on 14th August award a prize. Besides, the Sassarese who lives from much more time abroad and who lives longer in the city is rewarded with a a golden and a silver candlestick.
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Sassari: the Feast of Candlesticks
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Sassari: the traditional Sardinian Ride
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THE SARDINIAN RIDE – Sassari
The Sardinian ride takes place in Sassari, usually the last but one Sunday of May. In the morning it runs the streets of the "centro storico" while in the afternoon it moves to the race-course.
Unlike many others feasts, which take place in Sardinia, this run is a lay holiday, during which you can admire the traditional Sardinian costumes, traditional songs and dances from many parts of the island. This display is quite young, it goes back to 1951.
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THE MAURITANO WEDDING - SANTADI (CA)
Since 1969, the first Sunday of August, takes place in Santadi the old ceremonial dating back to the Pre-Christian period, with the bride and bridegroom in the tradional costumes and the two distinct processions (that follow the runs from their home to the principal square) with the "traccas" the typical Sardinian cart, drawn by horses.
After the Mess, groom’s and bride’s mothers bless the couple with two jugs of water, wheat (symbol of fecundity), salt (wisdom), coins (economic welfare) and petal of roses (love). Then, a very rich and plenty wedding banquet follows.
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A Sardinian Bride in her traditional costume during the Mauritano Wedding in Santadi (province of Cagliari)
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CANTI A TENORE
The canto a tenore is a style of polyphonic folk singing, which is very important among the Sardinian traditions. In fact it is both a genuine artistic expression, free from external influences and a social expression of the idyllic agricultural and pastoral society, which symbolize the island. Information about the dating of the origins are still to vague to allow us a precise chronological collocation. Accordig to some anthropologists, they go back to Pre-Christian Period, according to others canto a tenore was performed back in Nuraghe civilation.
"A tenore" derives from the latin "Ad tenorem", that means "in a continuous way and with overtone voice".
The four voices which made up the canto a tenore are: Su Bassu (the bass), Sa Contra (baritone), Sa Mesu Boche (or mesa 'oche), (contralto) and Sa Boche or sa 'oche) (soloist).
In 2005 unesco classed the canto a tenore among intagible world heritage.
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Sardinian traditions: Canto a Tenore is made up with four voices
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