The Ancient Carnival of Siniscola – 21^st February 2023

For the first time since the association was founded, we were able to see the Ancient Carnival being held in the guise we wanted to give it from the very beginning. We needed to maintain and give importance to our tradition and history, made up of symbolism, tales and toponyms that belong to us and that seemed forgotten. We felt the need to go back to populating the streets and squares that have seen the Siniscola families grow. The same need drove us to communicate the whole event with the language we speak every day at home, at work or in the social life we live.

What happened on Tuesday 21 February was the result of work, study, and the desire to share with the whole town.

Because it is in this town that the association works and it is in this town that s’Orcu appears once a year.

And we do not want to fall for the flattery of those who would have us ‘parade’ elsewhere, like trained beasts in a circus, possibly in the month of August to please tourists looking for a photo, showing us off as if we were a hunting trophy.

The Ancient Carnival of Siniscola is an agrarian rite that has belonged to our community since time immemorial, long before Christianity, and shows the signs of passion, sacrifice and pain for the death of the animal. A ritual for the success of the harvest, in the place and time to which it belongs. And this is how it will always be. For one day only, every year!

Having said this, we would like to thank again those who helped us for the success of the event. An event made by the village for the village, without any public money. A day that meant a lot, besides the masks.

The exhibition of farmers’ tools in one of the oldest courtyards of the village, made it available by the Sinis’ family. The puppet theatre, thanks to which we gave our children the opportunity to understand the symbolism behind the masks. But most of all, the village was given the opportunity to breathe an air of shared festivity, something that has not happened for a long time.

All this thanks to the work done together with Leva 76 delle Grazie, with the fellows who helped us out, the artisans and all those activities that supported us financially for the success of the event.

We thank again the town of Siniscola for being there and the foreigners for coming.

To better years!

S’Orcu ’e Montiarvu Association

*Photo gallery by A. Cucchi