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Sartiglia

POSITION: in the Oristano’s centre

DESCRIPTION: On the last sunday of Carnival and on the following tuesday, the Sartiglia Tournament is held at Oristano.

The race is organized in two parts, one is organized by the "Gremio dei Contadini" (peasant’s guild) and the other by the "Gremio dei Falegnami" (carpenter’s guild).

A Century old custom rich in istoriale, religious and civic elements is thus brought tolife once again. The Master of Cerimony of the Tournament is called “Componidori”, he climbs on to a low table and does not get down until the end of the ceremony, whilst on the table he is dressed in full tournament array by a group of young girls wearing the traditional Sardinian costume, under the supervision of an elderly woman (Sa Massaia Manna); after mounting his beautiful harnessed horse, he is immediate moine by two horsemen, one on either side and now the Componidori is like a “demigod”.

Then trumpeters, drummers and horsemen march on in the square but the Sartiglia startes at about 14 o’clock: the Componidori opens the race so he spurs his horse to a mad gallop and ties to pierce his sword (then with the “Stoccu”) through the central hole of a silver star, hanging from a green ribbon suspended in mid-air.

This exciting performance is repeted by each horsemen (only the Componidori decides who have to hanging the star) and finally closed by the rapier test, which is only reserved for the Componidori.

The end of the tournament is accompanied by two cerimonies: the blessing of the crowd by Componidori with a bunch of violets “Sa Pippia de Maiu”(litteraly- the little girl of May) and then the reassembling of the procession, where horsemen run an amazing race called “Pariglia”.

The term Sartiglia comes from the spanish word Sortija.