The Faradda of the Candelieri in Sassari

On the afternoon of 14 August, Piazza Castello in Sassari is a sea of people. To the sound of fifes and drums, one after another the Candelieri set off: great decorated wooden columns, as tall as a first floor, adorned with coloured ribbons and carried on the shoulders of eight men. They do not advance solemnly: they dance. They sway, spin, bow, while the crowd shouts fallu badhà, make it dance. This is the Faradda di li Candareri, the Descent of the Candelieri, the festival the people of Sassari love most.

From Pisa to the plague vow

The festival probably has Pisan origins. In the Middle Ages Sassari was an ally of the Republic of Pisa, where on the evening of 14 August, the eve of the Assumption, the faithful carried large votive candles enclosed in tabernacles. Sassari took part with its own offering, and the custom was brought to the city. Over time the wax candles were replaced by wooden columns, and the festival became bound to a vow: a promise to Our Lady of the Assumption to free the city from the plague epidemics that struck it several times, most severely in 1652.

Since then the Descent has been repeated every year on the eve of the Assumption. In 2013 UNESCO inscribed it on the list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity, together with Italy's other great shoulder-borne structures: the Varia of Palmi, the Gigli of Nola and the Macchina di Santa Rosa of Viterbo.

The guilds and their Candelieri

Each Candeliere belongs to a gremio, one of the city's old craft guilds, which keeps it, prepares it and carries it. The shaft is about three metres high and some forty centimetres across, topped by a capital from which coloured ribbons hang; poles for the bearers are fitted at the base. Each column bears the symbols of the trade and the image of the guild's patron saint.

The guilds are the Massai, the landowners and farmers, the Farmers, the Market Gardeners, the Wayfarers, the Bricklayers, the Stonecutters, the Carpenters, the Blacksmiths, the Shoemakers, the Tailors, the Butchers, and in recent years new Candelieri have been added, such as those of the Labourers and the Transport Workers. Being admitted to carry a Candeliere is an honour often handed down from father to son, and preparations last all year.

The most important guild is the Massai, whose Candeliere closes the procession. Its representatives, in dark suits and with the guild's insignia, lead the festival together with the head of the Candelieri and the obrieri, the officers of each guild.

The descent

The festival is called faradda, descent, because the route runs from the upper part of the city down to the church of Santa Maria di Betlem in the lower town, where the Candelieri are offered to the Virgin. It starts from Piazza Castello and crosses the streets of the old town. Each Candeliere moves with its own band of fifes and drums and its guild in costume, stops, dances, sets off again. The pace is slow and the festival lasts many hours, from the afternoon until late in the evening.

Halfway along the route, in front of the town hall, the Massai guild is received by the mayor: the guild's banner is exchanged for the city's standard, as a sign of alliance between the people and those who govern, and a toast is raised with the wish that is the heart of the festival: a zent'anni, to a hundred years.

The arrival at Santa Maria di Betlem, at night, is the most moving moment. The Candelieri enter the church square one after another and are brought up to the Virgin's altar, while the exhausted bearers embrace and the crowd applauds. The vow has been fulfilled.

The days before

In the weeks leading up to 14 August the city prepares. The guilds dress the Candelieri in their premises and organise rehearsals, lunches and parties. In the preceding days there is also the Descent of the small Candelieri, carried by children, who imitate the grown-ups with touching seriousness. For a Sassarese, the Faradda is above all this: a sense of belonging learned in childhood.

Candelieri elsewhere

The same tradition exists in other Sardinian towns. In Nulvi, on 14 August, three large Candelieri are carried in procession; in Ploaghe the descent takes place on 15 August. They are different festivals, but they grew from the same root.

Tips for attending

The Faradda is free and can be followed along the whole route. The official programme, published each year by the City of Sassari, gives the departure times from Piazza Castello and the main stops. Arrive early to find a spot along Corso Vittorio Emanuele or in the streets leading down to Santa Maria di Betlem, and be ready for a long evening: the procession can go on until late at night.

Mid-August is high season, and Sassari is close to the beaches of Platamona, Stintino and Castelsardo: you can spend the morning at the sea and the afternoon in the city. Book early, as accommodation in the area is in high demand at that time.