The Ritual of the dissolution of Sant’Efisio’s promise is held every year between 1 and 4 May. This is one of the most important religious celebrations in Sardinia with thousands of devotees taking part from all over the island.
The festival dates back to 1657. According to legend, from 1652 onwards, Sardinia was devastated by the plague, which drastically reduced its population; the people of Cagliari turned to Sant’Efisio, who freed the city from the plague; in exchange, he asked the local administration to promise to hold a procession each year in his honour.
The preparations for the festival start each year on 30 April with the saint being dressed inside the cocchio (carriage) which carries him during the procession.
On the 1 May, at 7:15 a mass is said in the church of Sant’Efisio in Stampace (Cagliari). Sant’Efisio’s prison is underneath the church were the emperor Diocleziano imprisoned Efisio following his conversion to Christianity. After the saint refused to denounce the Christian faith, the emperor entrusted the local governor (the Praeses Iulicus) to re-convert him to paganism or condemn him to death; after being imprisoned and tortured, Efisio was beheaded on the decision by the Court of Cagliari.
At 9:30, the Alter Nos are dressed. This is a figure appointed by the mayor of Cagliari to represent the municipality during the celebrations for Sant’Efisio. At 12:00, the procession begins, with the parade of the traccas, the carts pulled by oxen and decorated with flowers and fruit; this is followed by a procession of devotees, representing the various folk groups in Sardinia. They are either on horseback or on foot and wear the traditional clothing of their town. The streets are covered with petals, “Sa Ramadura”.
The horsemen, whose duty was originally to protect the saint, parade in three groups: Campidanesi, on horseback adorned with cockades and rosettes; the Miliziani, armed with arquebus and sabres; and Guardiania, wearing black tails with the tricolour sash around their waist and a top hat.
They are followed by members of the Confraternity of Gonfalone, who play a central role in all the festival’s rituals. The brothers are on foot in sackcloth and the sisters have their head covered with a black veil. It is the role of two brothers, called “Collaterali” to stay either side of the carriage throughout the procession and to open the doors of the carriage when it stops to collect flowers, ex-voto and other offerings from devotees.
The saint finally reaches the Church of Sant’Efisio in Giorgino, a neighbourhood founded in 1939 under the Fascist regime to provide fishermen with homes; the saint is then accompanied to the small church exclusively by the fishermen, where there is a change of garments; the halo and gold palm are replaced with silver ones and the carriage is exchanged for a “cocchio di campagna” (country carriage). This is kept all year round in Giorgino, in a chapel owned by the Ballero family, hence it is known as the “Cocchiera”.
The pilgrimage continues as far as Capoterra, stopping off at the “Su Loi” tower where mass is celebrated. Later on, the procession reaches the “Villa d’Orri” chapel owned by the Marquises Manca di Villahermosa, where benediction of the blessed sacrament takes place. The wagon is then transported as far as the church of Santa Vittoria in Sarroch, where solemn mass is said and it stops there for the night.
On 2 May, the procession continues as far as Villa San Pietro, and then reaches Pula. Late in the evening, the saint arrives in Nora where, according to tradition he was martyred on 15 January in the year 303. The following morning, a mass is held in the Chapel of Nora.
From here, the procession retraces its steps in reverse, with a torchlight procession by devotees.
At 19:00 on 4 May, the saint arrives at the chapel in Giorgino, where mass is celebrated and the statue is again dressed in its valuable ornaments and then returns to Stampace, at 23:00, where it is welcomed by thousands of devotees. When the celebration is over, the benediction of the blessed sacrament is held and the ritual of the dissolution of the promise is performed by the President of the Confraternity of Gonfalone.
In 2014, the Municipality of Cagliari applied to have the ritual of the dissolution of the promise and the feast of Sant’Efisio included in UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
