THE Mamuthones they Issohadores they are the protagonist masks of Carnival of Mamoiadaan event that takes place on an annual basis and begins the January 17th with the feast of Sant’Antonio Abate, in a small village of just over 2,000 inhabitants in the province of Nuoro, in Sardinia. It’s about symbolic disguises presumably dating back toNuragic era which are linked to ancestral stories and challenges against natural forces and which tell of a profound connection with the earth. Far from modern and folkloristic Carnivals, Mamoiada’s is an experience that mixes the sacred and the profane, resistance and hope, between the sound of cowbells and the ritual dances characterized by jumps that represent the alternation between normality and madness. Mamoiada is a village surrounded by mountains and green pastures Barbagia. Here, the Carnival festival is not just a celebration, but a return to the origins, a rite which has its roots in distant times, when nature, sacrifice and community life were closely linked.
What are Mamuthones
THE Mamuthones they are traditional Sardinian masks imposing And mysterious. Their costume consists of a wooden mask of pear, dark, depicting faces with a suffering expression, called visera, and heavy black sheepskins. On their shoulders, hang gods cowbells called sonazzoswhich, with their deep and rhythmic sound, evoke ancient agricultural traditions and protection rites. These cowbells, which can weigh approx 30kgthey are not just a decorative element, but a reminder of sacredness of a time that is felt at every step.
The people who personify the Mamuthones they move slowly, with a rigorous choreography And hypnotic. Each step is marked by the sound of cowbells, creating an atmosphere of great intensity. They never speak: the silence it’s what gives them an aura of sacredness And mystery. These silent spirits move in groups of twelve elements, symbolizing the twelve months of the year, and they walk in the land as in one ritual trancemarking the passage of time, the struggle against dark forcesand the agricultural cycle which governs the life of the community. The origins of the Mamuthones they are wrapped in mystery: some scholars believe that they represent ancient propitiatory rites for nature, others see them as symbols of resistance against the adversities of life, which collide with the invisible forces that threaten man and the earth.
What are the Issohadores
Alongside these silent warriors, we find the Issohadores. If the Mamuthones are guardians of an ancient and solemn rite, the Issohadores are the messengers of fortuneThe intermediaries between the audience and the mysterious world of the Mamuthones. Dress smartly elegant And livelywith white shirt, red bodice and white trousers, the Issohadores I’m theplayful soul of the procession. With theirs clear maskless dark than that of the Mamuthones, and their long sohaa noose that they use to symbolically capture people, become protagonists of a gesture that is not at all threatening, but rather auspicious. Their job is to “capture” viewers, in particular women And childrenas a sign of prosperity, Health And fertility for the future.
The Issohadores they are also keepers of order and of peace during the party, balancing the austerity of the Mamuthones with a direct and warm contact with the audience. Between a smile and a jump, they conduct the ritual in style participatorycreating a perfect balance between sacred and the profane.
The meaning behind the Mamoiada Carnival
It seems that the Mamoiada Carnival parade has its roots in the Nuragic era, and that it symbolizes the transhumance: The Issohadores they would represent the shepherds who with their snare try to capture animals that stray from the flock, i Mamuthones they perform a propitiatory rite for the annual harvest. There procession which crosses the streets of the village like this is a living stage, where every movement and every sound is a piece of history which is repeated every year.
