It's not a procession, it's not a village festival: at the end of August, in Esterzili, faith takes the form of two small silver clogs that enter every home, announced by the ringing of bells and the scent of fresh basil. They are not carried by priests or brothers, but by the children of catechism , heirs to a rite unique to this small town in the Barbagia di Seulo region.
It all begins with the Sleeping Madonna , an ancient and precious statue, recently restored, which for eight days is dressed in solemn robes and placed on her stretcher, as if to receive the homage of the entire community. At her feet are silver clogs: devotional jewels that condense centuries of history and care.
Then, suddenly, the ritual transforms.
The Madonna returns to more sober robes, while her clogs set out. No longer a relic to be contemplated, but an object to be shared: they are placed on a tray covered with basil, collected and donated by the faithful, and begin to be passed from house to house.
The bells that precede them are an unmistakable signal : families open their doors, anxiously await that small sacred entrance, take a basil leaf and leave another, thus feeding a continuous cycle of giving and giving back.
The choral nature of the participation is striking: men, women, children, all recognize themselves as part of this exchange, which is both a ritual and a community language.
Even the boys and girls have a new role, that of storytellers: they explain the tradition to those who are not from Esterzili, thus safeguarding a heritage that lives only when told.
Every August, the town renews a simple but deeply felt gesture: two silver clogs walking between the houses become the symbol of a devotion that does not remain confined to the church, but permeates the streets and corners of the town.
