The “Sa Carrela ‘e nanti” horse race is the most popular moment of the Santu Lussurgiu carnival.
It takes place on the last three days of the carnival. The event is held in the historical via Roma, where each year for the occasion, the road’s paving is removed so the race can be run on dirt track, in line with tradition.
On Sunday afternoon the horsemen, strictly locals from Santu Lussurgiu, dressed in multi-coloured clothing, launch into the race in the narrow descent in pairs trying to stay together on their horses like genuine acrobats. The crowd watching the event pours into the narrow road, opening up as the pairs pass and closing again as soon as they’ve gone, constantly cheering on the horsemen.
On Monday, known as “Su lunisi de sa pudda”, the individual horsemen, at a gallop, try to knock down a puppet with a stick. It represents a cockerel and since the 1970s has replaced the real cockerel.
Tuesday is prize-giving day.
The extremely welcoming context, in one of the most beautiful and well-preserved town centres in Sardinia, the commitment shown by the horsemen and the involvement of the people make the event extremely enjoyable. The carnival in Santu Lussurgiu is enhanced by accessory events featuring excellent choral performances of the ”a cuncordu” song and local food and wine productions, key ones being the acquavite distilled from wine and the traditional carnival sweets, the almond “culurzones”.
Sa carrela ‘e nanti is part of a series of equestrian traditions like the Sartiglia in Oristano and the Ardia in Sedilo, dating back to the distant era of the Giudicati and the island’s period under Spanish domination.
