Transcript Sartiglia

“Sartiglia”
It is an ancient Sardinian rite that goes back to the XVII century
and takes place every year in Oristano on the last Sunday of
carnival and on Mardi Gras.
It consists in choosing
a king called
CUMPONIDORI: one
is chosen by the
Carpenters’ Guild and
another one by the
Farmers’ Guild. This
choice is made on
February 2, the day of
“Candelora”. SU
MAJORALE, the head
worker, appoints them
and gives them some
long wax candles.
One of the most interesting moments is the “VESTIZIONE”: the
king, riding a horse, gets inside a house and, without touching the
floor, gets off on a big table. He sits there and is dressed by young
women, with the typical old costume.
The king wears a white shirt, trousers and a pair of boots.
The ritual is accompanied
by the rollers of drums
and the sound of the
trumpets.
The “VESTIZIONE”
(dressing) is completed
when the king wears a
white mask which
transforms him into “SU
CUMPONIDORI”.
Now he represents a god,
so no part of his body can
touch the ground.
Drums
Now he is ready to take
part to the knights’ joust.
“SU COMPONIDORI”
opens this joust in which
many other knights take
part. On horseback, at high
speed, with a long spear,
they have to catch a star
hanging along their way.
The more stars they get the
better the crop will be.
A knight trying to catch a star
Knights
“Su Componidori”
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