Fonni Carnival

The Fonni carnival is characterized by the ancient masks of s'Urthu and sos Buttudos, also called ugly masks (mascareras bruttas), which represent the daily struggle of man against the elements of nature.
It begins on January 16 on the occasion of the feast of Saint Anthony the Abbot. An hour before Mass, during vespers (su pispiru), a big fire is lit. After the religious service, the priest accompanies the statue of Saint Anthony in a procession, making three laps around the fire and blessing the bonfire. After the ceremony, the traditional masks, s'Urthu and sos Buttudos, come on stage. S'Urhtu fights constantly trying to free himself from his chains, attacking men and things he encounters in his path, climbing everywhere, on trees and balconies, incited to pounce on people while SOS Buttudos try to tame him.
The procession also features fully covered Sas Mascara Limpias (the elegant masks). They do not speak so as not to be recognized and not to reveal their gender, they are accompanied by the guarantor of the masks (on the wearer). They are often accompanied by organ players and invade the streets of the town to the rhythm of traditional dances and songs, performing in particular the Fonnese dance.
The last day of carnival (martis de coa) comes to the scene of Ceomo, an anthropomorphic puppet seated on a chair and carried in arms, led through the streets of the town by a procession of masks that sing rhyming verses mocking characters and alluding to local events. Su Ceomo undergoes a trial in the square and, at the end, is burned at the stake while men disguised as women sing a funeral lament (su Teu), accompanied by traditional Sardinian songs (battorinas and muttos) in the hope that the fire will also incinerate all the ills that afflict the population.

The masks
S'Urthu: it represents the animal, dressed in sheepskin or goat in black or white, wears a big cowbell tied around its neck, its face blackened by charred cork (s'inthiveddu), is kept on a leash with a loud iron chain.
Sos Buttudos: they wear an orbace coat over velvet clothes, boots and leather legs, on their shoulders they wear cowbells ('rattles').
Sas Mascara Limpias: they represent elegance and beauty, they are impersonated by men and women. They wear parts of the traditional Fonnese women's costume: the skirt (on vardellinu), the white shirt (on brathallu), a cloth or brocade jacket (on cippone), they wear a straw or cardboard hat covered with embroidered tablecloths adorned with colorful ribbons (sos vroccos) and a veil over their face (sa faciola).
About Ceomo: anthropomorphic puppet with mask, shoes and gloves, padded with straw and rags.

History
The oldest news about the Fonni carnival dates back to the end of 1800, thanks to the description of the procession, the groups of masks, the trial suffered by Su Ceomo and his death at the stake. On Ceomo he represents carnival, and he is blamed for human evils purified by fire. The symbolic character of s'Urthu represents, for some scholars, the personification of the ogre, the god of the dead and darkness of pre-Christian religions. The masks of s'Urthu and sos Buttudos, dismal and bestial masks, were banned by the Church because of their figurative affinity with demonic figures.

Update

6/2/2024 - 16:51