A time-honored ritual. This afternoon, starting at 3:00 PM, the Sinnai Carnival features "Is Cerbus," a deer hunt through the town's streets. The protagonists will be the members of the "Is Cerbus" association, with over one hundred members, along with the masked figures of "Martis de Agoa" (Maracalagonis), "S'attitidu 'osincu" (Bosa), "S'ainu Orriadore" (Scano Montiferro), and "Su Boinarxiu e Su Pastori" (Teulada). The event will begin in Piazza Dessì at 3:00 PM with the dressing of the masks. The deer hunt will then take place through the streets of Is Mitzas, Soleminis, Funtanatziu, Funtanalada, Mameli, and Giardini, with a grand finale in Piazza Sant'Isidoro.

Sinnai's carnival is one of Sardinia's oldest, as attested by documents held in the Municipal Historical Archives, which certify its existence as far back as 1892. "The origins of this ritual are actually lost in the mists of time," reads a statement from the Is Cerbus association, chaired for several years by Maurizio Manca, "an ancient world of forests, humans, and animals bound by a subtle balance. It is not a simple hunting reenactment: rather, it is a symbolic, almost mythical tale that showcases the primordial relationship between humans and nature."

The hunters (is cassadoris) are recognizable by their traditional attire: dark velvet, vest, cartridge belts, and a scenic rifle. Also crucial are the is canaxius, the beaters, tasked with symbolically patrolling the town streets to track down the animals and drive them toward the hunters. Working alongside them are the dogs, essential to the hunt, which concludes at dusk in the great slaughter, which everyone can watch from the stands in Piazza Sant'Isidoro.

This year, the management of the carnival, which will conclude on March 15th with the "Pinatello" and "Is Pariglias" (the traditional carnival dance) on the Bellavista track, has been entrusted by the Municipality to the Pro Loco. The first day took place last Sunday with the parade of masks and allegorical floats.

© Riproduzione riservata