M A M U M A S K

The mysterious "Mamoiada carnival" - from ancestral origins - is one of the oldest folk manifestations of Sardinia. Its protagonists, the #Mamuthones and #Issohadores, have long been the recognized symbol of the country. The “Mamuthones“, curved under the weight of the cowbells, and with their faces covered by a black wooden mask, slowly move in a cadenced manner on two parallel rows, giving a shoulder shot to shake off the entire rattle, with a very particular clang. The “Issohadores“ escort them with lighter steps and leaps, dressed in white masks and red bodices, and throw the lasso (in the mamoiadino dialect "soha") suddenly capturing the young women as a sign of good omen for good health and fertility, or even the friend as a sign of affection chosen in the crowd, and then release it soon after. Once upon a time, landowners were captured, who, in order to repay their reserved honor, then brought the whole group home, offering wine and sweets. The chief issohadore gives orders to the mamuthones and from the rhythm to the dance. These masks make their first appearance on January 17 of each year on the occasion of the feast of Saint Anthony the Abbot. The feast is called Sant'Antoni and su o'u ("Sant'Antonio del Fuoco"), because, as in many Sardinian countries and other Mediterranean regions, many bonfires are lit around which the mysterious dances of the Mamuthones and Issohadores. The rite seems to have an apotropaic or propitiatory meaning. The noisy dance of rattles would serve to ward off evil and encourage abundant agricultural vintages. Similar costumes are found in other villages in various European countries.

Together with the masks of many European countries, Issohadores and Mamuthones can be admired at the recently expanded Museum of Mediterranean Masks. The Museum contends at the International Museum of Carnival and Mask of the Belgian city of Binche the greatest completeness of testimonies and findings on the carnival of the Mediterranean basin. The structure organizes frequent international exchanges with museums, cultural institutes and associations operating in this field.