The Faradda dei Candelieri in Sassari

On 14 August, in homage to Our Lady of the Assumption, the solemn procession of the Candareri (the Candareri) is celebrated in Sassari. This is probably a tradition coming from Pisa, where on the evening of 14 August the faithful carried votive wax in procession, inside tabernacles. It is likely that Sassari, an ally of the Maritime Republic of Pisa, would participate with an offer. Over time, the candles were replaced with wooden barrels and the ritual became a vow to the Virgin to stop the plague epidemics, which struck the Turritan city on several occasions, especially in 1652.

Each candlestick consists of a stem three meters high and a diameter of forty centimeters. Each candlestick has a capital at the top from which colored ribbons hang. At the base of the shaft, the rods are inserted for the transport of the powerful structure by eight carriers.

The procession is called Faradda ('Descent'), because downhill is the ritual path of the candlesticks that starts from Piazza Castello to the church of Santa Maria in Betlem.

The gremi (trade guilds), each equipped with a specific candlestick bearing the related symbols and patron saint, are those of butchers; blacksmiths; wayfarers; stone cutters; carpenters; farmers; shoemakers; gardeners; bricklayers; bricklayers; tailors; massai, or landowners, to which have recently been added those of truckers and labourers. The candlesticks do not parade with a simple processional pattern. The bearers, in fact, to the sound of fife and drum, make each candlestick dance, incited by the crowd: “Fallu badhà, fallu badhà! ” ('Make him dance, make him dance! ').

Halfway through the course, the Massai Guild is received by the mayor for the ceremony of exchanging the flag of the guild with the banner of the Municipality. This ritual moment includes the happy birthday toast “At thirty! ” (To a hundred years!).

Recall that the Descent of the Candlesticks since 2013 has been included in the representative list of the intangible cultural heritage of UNESCO. It is also part of the Network of Large Italian Shoulder Machines, an association founded in 2005 and whose purpose is to preserve some of the oldest Italian religious events.

The Candlestick Festival in Sassari, in addition to being a strong element of the city's identity, is also an interesting example of the dynamic character of tradition. Recall, in fact, that two greaves are more recently introduced. The truck-rail guild, established in 1938, contained all the road and rail transporters. Admitted to the Descent in 2021, the first participation with the candlestick took place in 2022, the same year in which the candlestick of the Guild of the Laborers was incorporated into the Faradda.

Update

30/7/2024 - 15:31