The Sartiglia of Oristano

Every year, on the last Sunday and the Tuesday of Carnival, Oristano comes to a halt. The streets of the centre are covered with sand, the stands fill up from dawn, the drummers and trumpeters take their places. At the heart of it all is a man who for one day stops being a man: su Componidori, the leader of the race, his face hidden by an androgynous mask and his body wrapped in veils and lace. The outcome of the Sartiglia depends on him and, according to tradition, so does the farming year about to begin.

A name that comes from chance

The word Sartiglia most likely comes from the Castilian sortija, ring, itself from the Latin sorticula, little fortune. It began as a ring joust, a chivalric game common in medieval Europe and brought to the island by the Spanish; over time the ring became a tin star with a hole in the middle. But the Latin root says something more: the Sartiglia is a festival of luck. The more stars are pierced, the richer the harvest will be.

Oristano, the old capital of the Giudicato of Arborea, has kept this joust alive for centuries, weaving Iberian chivalric culture together with much older farming rites. The mask, the flowers, the blessing of the crowd, the rider lying back on his horse: these are gestures of fertility and spring, of the turning of the season that Carnival celebrates all over Sardinia.

The guilds, keepers of the race

The Sartiglia is not run by just any committee but by two gremi, the old craft guilds born in the Middle Ages: the Farmers' Guild, under the protection of St John the Baptist, which organises the Sunday race, and the Carpenters' Guild, devoted to St Joseph, which runs the Tuesday race. Each year the guilds appoint the Oberaiu Majori and the Majorale, who in turn choose the rider who will lead the race.

The appointment is a huge honour and a heavy responsibility. The name is announced on 2 February, Candlemas: that day the two Componidoris receive blessed candles at home, and from then on the town knows who will wear the mask.

The dressing: becoming the Componidori

On the day of the race, at the guild's headquarters, the dressing ceremony takes place, one of the most intense and silent moments of the festival. The rider climbs onto a table, sa mesitta, and from then on must not touch the ground until he is in the saddle. He is dressed by is massaieddas, young women in costume led by sa Massaia manna, who directs every gesture with almost liturgical care.

Layer by layer, the man disappears. The white shirt with ribbons, red for the farmers, pink and pale blue for the carpenters. The laced leather jerkin, the embroidered veils, the mantilla. A camellia pinned to the chest, red on Sunday and pink on Tuesday. Then the mask: earth-coloured for the farmers' Componidori, white for the carpenters'. Finally the black top hat. When the dressing is over, the Componidori is lifted onto his horse, decked with dozens of coloured rosettes and cockades, and rides out between two walls of people. From that moment he does not speak, does not show his face, and blesses.

The star race

The procession, with drummers, trumpeters and riders in costume, reaches the cathedral square. There, above the sand track of Via Duomo, a tin star with a hole in the middle hangs from a green ribbon. The Componidori blesses the crowd by crossing his sword, then sets off first at a gallop and tries to pierce the star. After him ride su Segundu Componi and su Terzu Componi, his two assistants, and finally the other riders, to whom the race leader grants the honour of trying one at a time.

Every star taken is greeted with a roar. Whoever succeeds receives a small silver star as a keepsake, but the real prize is the omen: many stars mean a year of plenty. After the sword round, the riders gallop again holding su stoccu, a wooden lance, for a final series of attempts.

Sa remada, the blessing at a gallop

When the lance has been handed back, the Componidori receives sa pipia de maiu, a sceptre decorated at both ends with bunches of violets and periwinkles, a symbol of spring and fertility. This is the most awaited moment. Drums and trumpets announce sa remada: the Componidori races down the track and lies flat on his back on the galloping horse, blessing the crowd with the flowered sceptre. It is a gesture of great difficulty and great beauty, and it closes the star race. A second remada, together with his riders, ends the first part of the day.

The pariglie of Via Mazzini

In the afternoon the procession moves to Via Mazzini, where the Sartiglia changes character. Here the pariglie are run: groups of three riders galloping side by side perform breathtaking acrobatics. They stand up on the saddle, hold each other up, form human pyramids, one of them lies back or turns upside down while the horses keep running. The first pariglie are led by the Componidori and his two assistants, then the other groups follow. The crowd, packed behind the barriers, applauds every pass, and sometimes holds its breath.

As the light fades, the Componidori returns to the guild headquarters, still in the saddle, to be undressed. Only then does the man get his face back. The celebrations go on late into the night in the streets of the centre, with Vernaccia di Oristano wine and Carnival zeppole fritters.

The Sartigliedda and the rest of Carnival

On Carnival Monday, between the two main races, the Sartigliedda takes place, a smaller version of the joust ridden by young riders and children on Sardinian ponies: it is the school from which the Componidoris of tomorrow will come. In the preceding days the town fills with exhibitions, talks and visits to the Fondazione Sa Sartiglia, which keeps costumes, masks and the memory of the festival.

Tips for attending

The Sartiglia draws tens of thousands of people every year. The stands along Via Duomo and Via Mazzini are ticketed and should be booked well in advance through the official channels of the Fondazione Sa Sartiglia; without a ticket you can still follow the procession and watch the race from some free spots if you arrive very early. The dressing takes place behind closed doors, but the moment the Componidori rides out of the guild headquarters can be seen from the street.

The dates change every year with Carnival: the race is held on Carnival Sunday and Shrove Tuesday, so between February and early March. It is a cold and often windy time of year, and the races last many hours, so dress in layers. Book early to stay in Oristano or nearby towns such as Cabras and Santa Giusta. If you have an extra day, the Sinis peninsula, with Tharros and San Giovanni di Sinis, is half an hour's drive away.

Why go

The Sartiglia is not a re-enactment for tourists. It is a living festival that the town prepares all year round, in which the guild families, the riders, the massaieddas and the children watching from the stands recognise themselves as part of a shared history. Watching the race means seeing something Oristano has done for centuries, and which still decides, at least for one day, everyone's luck.