first page | the masks | the scene | origins and meanings | points of interest
THE SCENE
Mamuthones usually move in groups of 12; they move forward in couples and they jump heavily, ringing their bells contemporaneously.
It is a dancing procession, a rythmical gait of single leaps which regularly end with a triplication of the leap itself.
What issohadores do
The repetitive sounds and the procession are not distracted by the rapid moviments of the issohadores, usually not more than 8.
S’issohadore vaults sa soha, and throws it towards the crowd: getting tangled in the rope is considered to be auspicious.
Sant’Antonio fires
Mamuthones and issohadores make their first appearance in 
Mamoiada on January 17, when Sant’Antonio abate is celebrated.
The fires lit in every district of the town interrupt the dancing procession, and the masks and spectators can have some wine and sweets.
It is an evocative show: the mamuthones dancing against the flickering flames.
You must return to Mamoiada the last Sunday and Tuesday of Carnival when another exhibition takes place, reviving the memories and traditions of an entire comunity.