Festivals and fairs make up the most consistent part of Sardinia’s tradition. The festival is a moment of collective socializing, of catharsis, of recreation. It marks community time, separating it from work time.
From January to October, the celebrations in every village and city reoccur in the same period: in January you can admire the
bonfires of Sant’Antonio Abate in nearly 50% of the villages, in February there is
Carnival, in March or April the rites of the
Holy Week, in May the
Monuments Open in Sardinia, there is the
Festival of Sant'Efisio at Cagliari and the
Cavalcata Sarda (horse riding) at Sassari, in June the rite of
Corpus Domini a bit everywhere, in July
S'Ardia (horse race) at Sedilo, in August the
Festa dell’Assunta (Assumption) with processions at sea in many coast towns, the
Candelieri (candlestick)
procession at Sassari, the fest of
Sant’Ignazio at Laconi and the
Festa del Redentore (Saviour) at Nuoro, in September the
Corsa degli Scalzi (barefoot walk) at Cabras and
Marriage Selargino (traditional wedding ceremony) at Selargius, in October the
Sagra (fest)
di San Francesco at Lula, in October, November and December
Autunno (fall)
in Barbagia and
Cortes Apertas (open courtyards) in about 20 towns in the Nuoro province, the heart of Sardinia.