carnival in Orotelli | the masks | the scene | origins and meanings | points of interest | photo gallery
THE SCENE 
In the rain and sleet that the sky of Barbagia lavishly unloads in February, sos thurpos move yoked in pairs like oxen. A rope is tied around their waists and they are lead by a third man (thurpu) who goads them and tries to keep them calm.
The same happens in Ottana. a nearby village, where boes and merdules are the main protagonists and in Orotelli where sos thurpos, the main protagonist, rushes the crowds and creates a carnival atmosphere where everybody is involved..
By miming the oxen, sos thurpos ask for something to drink.
Some of the pairs of thurpos pull plows along the paved streets. They symbolize a propitiatory ritual of fertility which is similar to other carnivals in Barbagia.
Sometimes sos thurpus, in playing the role of farriers, stop to shoe a thurpu-ox. This is a very theatrical moment which represent the farmers work and their day life.