carnival in Orotelli | the masks | the scene | origins and meanings | points of interest | photo gallery
THE MASKS
Sos thurpos de Oroteddi “the blind people” who part take in the carnival of Orotelli, blacken their faces with burnt cork.
Their faces are hidden behind the hoods of su gabbanu which is a heavy coarse woolen overcoat worn by the shepherds during the cold season. This black overcoat is ideally suited to a carnival in which the dominant color is black,. black faces and black clothes prevail.
Over su gabbanu people wear belts with cowbells slung across their shoulders. Under su gabbanu they wear velvet clothes and boot leggings.
However, according to popular tradition and most of all to the memories of a canonical from Orotelli, at the beginning of the century there were not only thurpos but also various other costumes which were called erithajos, tintinnajos and burrajos.
There were sas mascaras de caddu and sas mascaras de pé. Among these last costumes sos thurpos were the protagonists of a amorphous group who went through the village begging or taking everything needed for the big evening feast. They were renowned for the amount of wine they drank and their dancing.
Everything ended with the funerals of Jorzi, a puppet which still today represents Carnival in many parts of the Island, although not in Orotelli anymore.