Mamuthones e Issohadores - Il paese di Mamoiada

Feast and Festivals.

During the year, there are various feasts and festivals in Mamoiada.
Among them there are an exhibition of agro-alimentary products and objects of local craftsmanship, and various religious celebrations in honour of S.Sebastiano, N.S. del Carmelo and the Madonna della Neve.
But the major events are the celebrations for S. Antonio Abate (Jan 16-17) and SS. Cosimo e Damiano (July-September), as well as the Carnival of which more will be said further on. The celebration to honour S. Antonio Abate, which originates in remote times as a propitiatory rite for the new agricultural season, begins on the evening of Jan 16 - Sa die de su Pesperu - with a ceremony during which a bonfire outside the parochial church is lit and blessed.
The worshippers circle round the fire three times reciting the "Credo". It is tradition to honour the saint by using a brand from the bonfire to light smaller ones in each neighbourhood. All night long and the two following days, the local community gathers around the bonfires where sweets and wine are offered to the citizens and to the many visitors. It is on this occasion that the Mamuthones and Issohadores make their first outing of the year.
They dance round the bonfires, then march through the village streets, visiting all neighbourhoods. The celebration of SS. Cosimo, representing the end of the agrarian year, is held in the homonymous country sanctuary with religious, musical and folkloric manifestations from July to September 27, the last day of the festival.

The sanctuary is surrounded by some 50 "humbessias", rustic dwellings built to house the pilgrims who gather around the church during the three summer months to relax and attend the novena.


The Museum Photo gallery Education Children's Museum The Museum Store Mamoiada Tours in Barbagia Museums of masks Google Maps Mamoiada		Mamoiada (in Sardinian language Mamujada) lies 650 meters above sea level, and is located north of the Gennargentu chain. Mamoiada's territory borders with those of Fonni, Gavoi, Ollolai, Sarule, Orani, Nuoro and Orgosolo. The town is 17 km from the s.S. 389 Nuoro-Lanusei-Arbatax (Ogliastra). The first human settlement in Mamoiada probably dates back to very remote times (15-13 century BC). A considerable number of Nuraghes with linear structure can be found mainly in the most fertile areas and in the vicinity of water springs. Domus de Janas small graves from the Neolithic period carved in the granite also abound in the territory (56 Domus). Various Menhirs or Perdas Longas, belived to be objects of a cult, are also found in the village. In 1997 a huge Menhir (2.65 x 2.10 mt), called Sa Perda Pintà, was discovered in the area called Boeli, on the outskirts of the village.

	Feast and Festivals. During the year, there are various feasts and festivals in Mamoiada. Among them there are an exhibition of agro-alimentary products and objects of local craftsmanship, and various religious celebrations in honour of S.Sebastiano, N.S. del Carmelo and the Madonna della Neve. But the major events are the celebrations for S. Antonio Abate (Jan 16-17) and SS. Cosimo e Damiano (July-September), as well as the Carnival of which more will be said further on. The celebration to honour S. Antonio Abate, which originates in remote times as a propitiatory rite for the new agricultural season, begins on the evening of Jan 16 - Sa die de su Pesperu - with a ceremony during which a bonfire outside the parochial church is lit and blessed. The worshippers circle round the fire three times reciting the "Credo". It is tradition to honour the saint by using a brand from the bonfire to light smaller ones in each neighbourhood. All night long and the two following days, the local community gathers around the bonfires where sweets and wine are offered to the citizens and to the many visitors. It is on this occasion that the Mamuthones and Issohadores make their first outing of the year. They dance round the bonfires, then march through the village streets, visiting all neighbourhoods. The celebration of SS. Cosimo, representing the end of the agrarian year, is held in the homonymous country sanctuary with religious, musical and folkloric manifestations from July to September 27, the last day of the festival. The sanctuary is surrounded by some 50 "humbessias", rustic dwellings built to house the pilgrims who gather around the church during the three summer months to relax and attend the novena.


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