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Febbraio 2002

SOS THURPOS IN OROTELLI

CARNIVAL TRADITIONS IN OROTELLI

Carnival has come, and lots of children, boys and girls, on Sunday, put on their fancy-dress. In Orotelli there is a very typical, unique mask: those who wear it are called "sos thurpos". They wear "su gabbanu", "a s'isporta" velvet trousers, and a velvet jacket. They also wear bootlegs and rubber boots (provided with big noisy nails, "sas bullittas", to protect the rubber). Over their shoulder, sos thurpos use to carry a leather belt provided with cowbells. On their faces, the "tintieddu", in order to drive evil spirits away. "Sos Thurpos" get out of their house in groups of three, two of them walk in front, representing the oxen, and the other behind, standing for the peasant. At Carnival, women use to prepare the "sevade", filled with fresh cheese: flour is made into a paste, then it is kneaded with a rolling pin, a piece of puff-pastry is made, then you put some cheese in the middle. Then they are fried in oil. Women also prepare "sas orulettes", "sas càttasa", and "sas casadinasa". First of all, "Sos Thurpos" are unique Carnival masks in Sardinia. In fact, differently from "sos mammuthones" and "sos issocadores", they do not represent the violent overwhelming of the strong over the weak or the master over the servant, but the ambivalence ox/peasant - "Voe-massaju". The ritual symbology of "sos thurpos" expresses the interconnection between the producer, su massaju (with a different meaning from the modern-economy specific word), and the means of production (sos boes o si jù o sa cropa) - the yoke. In other words, it should represent the indissoluble bond between "su massaju o voinarzu o juarzu" and "sos boes o su jù o sa cropa", represented by "sos reinacros" - the ropes: umbilical cords linking the peasant to the yoke and viceversa. There is absolute interdependence, because " sos boes o su jù o sa cropa" obey "su massaju o voinarzu o juarzu" (armed with a "foette" or "puntorzu") in a blind, absolute way, whereas "su massaju" looks after "su jù" lovingly, he cooks for him delicious "proendas", made from barley meal and tender leaves of Sardinian prickly pear, because it represents, as the only essential means of production, survival itself. In fact, both "sos thurpos" tied to the yoke "thurpos-jù", and "sos thurpos voinarzos" wear the very same tragic mask: a black orbace loose overcoat, the hood covering the eyes; the face is "thinthieddau" (black with soot); and a leather strip is worn (provided with cowbells), as a bandoleer. Together, they cooperate to catch the non-masked people ("tenene sos iscarazzados"). In my opinion, the propitiatory rite should be expressed by "sa tenta" (the capture) itself. "Su massaju e su jù" are united in their job, in effort and sufferance, well-expressed by the act of "forrare, muliare, carchidare" - beat the soil with front legs, moo, kick out. Pouring the wine from a flask ("burratza"), they offer some wine to the present company, who represent the elements of nature, to be won over through a kind act. Suddenly, as if they were "puntos dae sa musica" - stung by a fly - they catch one "iscaratzadu", who is asked to offer something ("su cumbidu") at the bar, "in su tzilleri". The "iscaratzadu" represents "s'annada ona" - the good crop. The latter reacts, kicks out, rebels against the capture, then they fight, "iscuden che thurpos": this represents the everyday fight of peasants-oxen against the unfavourable elements of nature. When the fight is finished, "s'iscaratzadu" is obliged to jump upright three or four times (together with "sos thurpos"), in order to imitate animals'steps (oxen's, horses', donkeys'): "travados" or "tropeidos" - shackled, tied up. Some people think that "sos thurpos" are clear examples of playful theatricalism. In order to prove that, rather than finding evidence, they have introduced new characters, "sos thurpos-aradu" and "su thurpu-seminatore", representing, in my opinion, only part of the peasant's production process: the ploughing and the sowing. Since "su thurpu-tzapitatore" (the weeder), "su thurpu-messadore" (the reaper), and "su thurpu-triuladore" (the thresher) are excluded, because they never appeared in the ritual, I think we should speak about tragic theatricalism rather than playful theatricalism, unless it is proved that ploughing and sowing are more important than harvest in peasant societies. Harvest, indeed, represents the main result of a peasant's (su massaju) efforts and hopes.

CARNIVAL IN GAVOI

The Barbagia region has always been the stronghold of tradition. It is an area where a very peculiar Carnival, different from the others, takes place. This Carnival has nothing to do with the other kinds of Sardinian festivals. Carnival in Barbagia still preserves the dramatic ritual of human sacrifice whose victim, "Su Mortu de Harrasehàre" (= Carnival's dead man) was represented, in Gavoi, by Tiu Zarrone, or Zizzarrone (the way it was called later). The puppet Zizzarrone used to be carried around the village either on the back of a donkey or on the back of a man. A procession followed Zizzarrone and walked through the streets while playing Su Tumbarinu (= the drum), su Triangulu (= the triangle) and Su Pippiolu (= the pipe), knocking on the doors in order to receive Su Humbidu (= the invitation in). When opening the door, the landlady/landlord said: "Suni harribande sos de su harrasehàre, itte l'amus a dare, itte l'amus a dare a su harrasehàre…" (= the Carnival people are coming, what shall we give them, what shall we give to these Carnival people…?) and the procession answered: "lardu sartizza e pane …. e binu po imbriagare…" (= lard, sausage and bread … and wine, to get drunk….). Zizzarrone goes through the streets all through the festival. Eventually, on Ash Wednesday ("su merhulis de lessia"), he is sent to the stake. The origin of this tradition is unknown. It is thought that this sacrificial offer is linked to the heathen rites dating from Pre-Christian times. The rite was undoubtedly addressed to the heathen god Dionysus, a misterious god (whose worship is connected to the ritual of fertility) who had to die and be born again after a period of winter rest. Carnival is a little different in Gavoi. It is noisier and livelier, but it still contains something of an old cruel ritual which sacrificed its victims in order to obtain the rewakening of nature after a long winter. On Shrove Thursday (Zobia Lardazzola) Sa Sortilla de sos Tumbarinos takes place: coming from all the districts, a large group of sonadores (= players) pours out into the square, beating in unison, on a great number of drums, the rhythm of Sardinian dance. From the square, a parade starts which goes through the village streets. Last year there were 500 people parading. The word "Lardazzola" comes from the Sardinian word "lardu", lard. In fact, people used to prepare broad beans and lard (fà e lardu) flavoured with cicely on Shrove Thursday. The festival goes on till late at night, cheered up by red wine and local cakes.

CARNIVAL IN BOSA

"KARRASEGARE OSINKU"

This year too, with the "Tradiziones" schedule, in order to bring out Carnival that is one of the most typical events that best express Bosa's soul and traditions, the municipal management is going to realize a couple of cultural initiatives. Bosa's Carnival offers everyone an incredibly rich, varied, imaginative and hilarious performance. Its artistic value is undoubtedly the result of the work of several generations, who have consciously given this celebration the distinguishing mark of an ethnic membership. Carnival is the time when disorder is allowed, it is a bulk of overturning rituals, but it also celebrates aggressiveness, distruction and debunking. In Bosa, the satyrical and parodistic aspects of Carnival are emphasized: both the taste for narrating and the performing of deviant events about people's lives, and the protest against authority. Here Carnival is called "Karrasegare", in the same way as in the whole Planargia area. The word also refers to the last three days of the festival, the most important ones: Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. The festival starts with the "lardazholu" food collection, one week before Shrove Thursday. Early in the morning until late in the evening groups of young people, in fancy dress, go around the village, the face black with soot, a red cross painted on their forehead, and their jacket on inside out. Improvising satyrical songs, they ask for food both at grocer's shops and at their relatives' and friends' houses: in exchange for their singing, they receive food and drinks. Carnival, though, concentrates on the last days of the festival: on this occasion in fact, people are full of high spirits. During the performances, players satirize either themselves or other people through satyrical songs, whose lietmotifs are brought out from the village reality. In Bosa, throughout Carnival, facts and people who caused a scandal during the year are publicly satirized. The protagonists of Shrove Tuesday are two typical masks: the mask of funeral moaning and the mask of Gioldzi. The former appears in the morning until late in the afternoon; it is the mask of a woman who sings a strange lament (attittidu), rich in satirical and sexual contents. Each of these groups of masks carries a rag doll or a big doll without a leg or any other part of the body. During the moaning, passers-by are persuaded to give some milk to the puppet-daughter, who is hungry and ill. Anyway, the mother's disorderly behaviour is never criticised, indeed it is considered to be normal, against all moral rules of maternal responsibility. Gioldzi, instead, appears late in the evening until the small hours of the morning. This mask, who represents the ending moments of Carnival, wears a sheet as a cloak, and a pillow-case as a hood. The procession of allegorical carts and the masks of social criticism use to parade until the evening. At dusk, the atmosphere changes because everybody goes back home and all masks disappear, but just for an hour. Meanwhile, the night comes and the mask of Gioldzi gets ready. We have already said that his clothes are very simple and his face is black with cork soot. He carries either a Venetian-style paper lantern or a typical wicker-and-cane basket (pischedda), with a candle inside it. At dead of night, the festival breaks out, involving both masked people and non masked ones. The main square and the streets are crowded with Gioldzi masks; the originality of Gioldzi is this: the masks run here and there without stopping. In this way, the flapping of white cloaks makes one think of groups of ghosts fluttering around.