La Candelora

Already celebrated by the emperor Justinian, this religious anniversary became deeply rooted in the liturgical context of the Catholic Church when Pope Sergius I (687-701) established a solemn penitential procession for the occasion. The celebrations, in a first phase dedicated to the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, after the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) focused on the figure of Christ and, in particular, on the evangelical episode of the presentation of Jesus in the temple of Jerusalem.

The Sardinian tradition called incresiamentu or incresiadura (purification with a priestly blessing imposed in the church at the postpartum period 40 days after giving birth and reintegration into the social structure) is inspired by the New Testament contents that describe the Madonna, forty days after the birth of the Child, going to the Temple with the Son, according to the prescriptions of Jewish law (Luke 2, 22-24).

Candlemas Day, February 2, always in the context of island traditions, takes on particular importance in the Oristano carnival: the Sartiglia. On this date, in fact, the blessed candles were handed over by the presidents of the two guilds (that of the farmers and that of the carpenters) to the related compoidoris, the two leaders, with the meaning of a sort of official inauguration. Even the helpers of the two foremen and the young people who will compete on equal terms receive a candle. At the end of the ritual there is a refreshment based on typical sweets and Vernaccia.

As a time of transition (halfway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox), at the popular level Candlemas, known as Cincirriola and Candelera in some areas of Sardinia, is considered an ideal opportunity to make predictions. For example, in Villaputzu, the lack of snow or rain on February 2 must be considered a sign of a long winter. Candlemas is linked to a long series of proverbs, popular sayings and nursery rhymes with the theme of well-attested weather forecasts in Sardinia, but which are also widely compared in other regions.