Is Curridoris Scalzi In Cabras 0 Comments
When the heat of summer gives way to coolness in the first weekend of September, in Cabras, which is 208 km away, about two and a half hours by car from Gabbiano Azzurro Hotel & Suites, it's time for "Is Curridoris". Time for a real race, which frees the soul and brings you closer to the Lord.
The "Is Curridoris'' are a group of hundreds of men who, shouting "Viva Santu Srabadori", (long live to Saint Salvatore), escort the Saint ‘s statue in a litter running barefoot through the difficult streets in the Sinis region. They wear a short white habit tied at the waist called "s'abidu" and groups of two men alternate, every hundred metres, while transporting the litter. The elder ones instruct the younger ones on the running rule: the statue of the Saint must always precede the group and must not be surpassed for any reason.
At dawn, the wooden statue of the Saint is placed on a litter and is transported running from the churchyard of Holy Mary of Cabras to the church of San Salvatore of Sinis for about 7 km, barefoot on asphalt and white dirt roads. The following day, with the return ride, the statue of San Salvatore is brought back to Cabras when the celebrations in honour of the Saint start, including a religious procession, Sardinian music and fireworks.
Why all this? Because of the ancient ceremony dating back to 1619 when the Saracens invaded and sacked Cabras and the territory of the Sinis Peninsula, imprisoning the men and taking the women away. It is said that the brave men ran to fight the invaders, while the rest of the population, mostly women, took the Saint’s statue away from Cabras and rushed it to San Salvatore’s village to save it. The reckless race through the white dirt road raised a great deal of dust so much that the Saracens, believing an army was about to arrive to help the people of Cabras, fled. The event was considered as a miracle performed by San Salvatore and since then the statue was kept in Cabras in the S. Maria Assunta’s church, but was brought back every year to his church of origin, for one day, during the race of "Is Curridoris ".
The procession of the Saint's returning back to Cabras concludes the celebration. The return run is between two wings of applauding crowds all along the route shouting, “Evviva Santu Srabadoi”! “Evviva Is Curridoris”! until the arrival. At the end of the race, the runners greet each other with an "A attrus annus mellus amici", see you again the following year.
“The rhythm of your steps can be translated into syllables, words or music." (David Grossman)
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Written by Daniela Toti
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