Visiting Orosei at certain times of the year and participating in our festivals allows guests to feel part of our community. Festivals, dances, and squares were central to the family life of our ancestors. Music, cohesion, and relationships alleviated the difficulties caused by the many shortcomings of the time. The desire for the arrival of the feast brought a sense of well-being and happy living into the life of each individual.
So, today, taking part in our rituals means remembering and reliving those happy moments, those relationships, those unions made up of human solidarity that our lives miss today.
Bonfire of Sant’Antonio — January 16
On 16 January, in the courtyard of St Anthony’s Church, a bonfire is lit in honour of the Saint. The wood is brought by the young people of the village, and this is a real ritual, a gesture in which the devotion of the whole community to the Saint is manifested. The wood is placed at the foot of the Aragonese Tower. Tradition has it that three laps around the fire are made to bring hope for a better year.
After mass, the bonfire is lit and people celebrate around its heat with a glass of wine and typical sweets.
Easter – Holy Week rites
The rites of Holy Week in Orosei represent one of the most important moments in the community. The churches become majestic cathedrals of palm flowers and olive branches for the preparation of the Sepulchres. The town is ready to celebrate one of the most important events in religious life: the death and resurrection of Christ.
This is symbolically represented by the preparation of the characteristic nenneros, plates on which grains of wheat are sprouted in the dark. Su nennere represents life, death, and resurrection because the seed contains life in itself and true life is in death and resurrection (the growth in the dark of the plant).
Feast of Sant’Isidoro – Mid May
The festival draws the community to the commemoration of the Saint with a procession of horses.
Feast of Santa Maria — last Sunday of May
Great participation of the whole village in honour of the Madonna di Santa Maria. Fishermen’s boats from the bridge over the Cedrino river carry the simulacrum of the Madonna to the church of Origine Pisana at the mouth of the river. Not to be missed in the morning in Piazza del Popolo with the setting up and decoration of the boats. After mass, a banquet of relationships, wine, and the fateful octopus sandwich.
Feast of the Patron — 25 July
San Giacomo the Apostle is celebrated on 25 July. There are many religious events and it is an opportunity to experience a festival of music, dancing, and popular traditions.
Su Rimediio – First Sunday of September
Su Rimediu is one of the most important religious festivals for the community of Orosei. It takes place every year on the second Sunday of September and is preceded by a novena.
It consists of a large circular enclosure of 87 small houses, inside which stands the church, considered a late 19th-century rebuilding of a smaller building dating from the mid-17th century.
The S’Ortale hotel can offer you personalised estimates for experiencing these magnificent religious festivities.
