San Sebastiano Teti 2026

San Sebastiano Teti 2026: what to expect

Nine days of faith, folklore and community spirit in the heart of the Barbagia di Ollolai: from 29 August to 6 September 2026, Teti celebrates its patron saint with the Festival of San Sebastiano, one of the most heartfelt events on the Nuoro religious calendar. The event is organised by the Comitato «Nalegore», with the support of the Comune di Teti and the Province of Nuoro; at its heart is the Sanctuary of San Sebastiano, a rural church in the Masolo Prano area, surrounded by holm oaks and downy oaks, with its characteristic muristenes — the rural houses around the building that shelter worshippers and pilgrims during the novena.

The festival opens on 29 August with the procession of the statue of San Sebastiano from Piazza Santa Maria della Neve to the Sanctuary, accompanied by five guest folk groups (from Aritzo, Olzai, Oniferi, Galtelli and Oliena). The following days bring children’s entertainment, theatre shows, music evenings and the traditional candle-throwing tournament (three rounds, from 3 to 5 September). On 3 September the evening closes with Su Ballu a Ifferere, Teti’s own traditional dance. On 5 September the community lunch at the muristenes brings everyone together; on 6 September, after the games without frontiers, the procession brings the statue back to the village to close the celebrations. All events are free to attend.

Getting to the Sanctuary of San Sebastiano

Frequently Asked Questions about San Sebastiano Teti

Is admission to the San Sebastiano festival free?

Yes, admission to all religious celebrations and civil events organised by the Comitato «Nalegore» is free of charge.

What are the muristenes at the Sanctuary of San Sebastiano?

The muristenes (or cumbessias) are the rural houses built around the church, used by worshippers during the novena and the festival days; they host the community lunch on 5 September and the dances held in their honour.

Are there activities for children?

Yes, the programme includes an inflatable bull and balloon sculptures on 31 August, face painting and a treasure hunt on 2 September, a children's candle-shooting game on 4 September and games without frontiers on 6 September.

Where and when does the procession with the statue of San Sebastiano take place?

The statue leaves Piazza Santa Maria della Neve on the evening of Saturday 29 August for the rural sanctuary, where it remains for the novena; on the evening of Sunday 6 September a second procession brings it back to the village.

History and Traditions

From 29 August to 6 September 2026, Teti, a small town in the Barbagia di Ollolai area of the Province of Nuoro, celebrates its patron saint with the Festival of San Sebastiano, one of the most heartfelt dates on the local religious calendar. The event is organised by the Comitato «Nalegore», which coordinates nine days of centuries-old rites and a packed civil entertainment programme with the support of the Comune di Teti.

The focus of devotion is the Sanctuary of San Sebastiano, a rural church standing in the Masolo Prano locality just outside the village, in a wide clearing shaded by holm oaks and downy oaks. The building, of ancient origin and repeatedly reworked over the centuries, shows Gothic-Aragonese features with classical and mannerist touches that scholars have compared, for both layout and decoration, to the more imposing Sanctuary of San Mauro in Sorgono. The wooden portal, topped by a round arch with an empty niche and a rose window, opens onto a single nave with a barrel vault divided into three bays; the statue of the saint is kept on the granite altar and in the stone niche of the rear wall, while the bronze bell still bears the inscription «S. SEBASDIAN + 1737», evidence of eighteenth-century work.

The festival opens on 29 August with the procession leaving Piazza Santa Maria della Neve, in the heart of the village, for the sanctuary: the statue is accompanied by folk groups from Aritzo, Olzai, Oniferi, Galtelli and the minifolk group from Oliena. During the novena, worshippers gather at the muristenes, the rural houses surrounding the church, for moments of prayer and traditional evening dances; on 6 September the statue returns to the Church of Santa Maria della Neve, closing the celebrations. Around this religious core, an ever richer civil programme has grown over the years, with folk music evenings, theatre shows, the traditional candle-throwing tournament and, on 3 September, the performance of the «Ballu a Ifferere», the traditional Tetiese dance that the village jealously preserves alongside its own typical dances, still handed down today by local groups.