Thurpos

Sos Thurpos of Orotelli

Sos Thurpos (singular su Thurpu) are the traditional masks of Orotelli, a village in the Barbagia di Nuoro, and their name means “the blind ones” in Sardinian. Unlike the masks of the other Barbagia carnivals, they wear no wooden mask: they roam the village with their faces uncovered, the skin blackened with the soot of burnt cork, staging farm work and the bond between the farmer and his oxen. Outside the village they also parade at the island’s great events, such as the Cavalcata Sarda in Sassari.

The clothing

They all wear the same outfit: the black orbace coat called su gabbanu, with the hood pulled down almost over the eyes. Across the shoulder they carry thick ropes (su reinacru) or leather belts hung with bronze bells and cowbells — called picarolos, brunzos, tintinnos, metallas and grillinos — which also serve to keep evil spirits away. At the waist of their trousers they carry a gourd of wine and a cup made from an ox horn.

The procession

They usually move in groups of three: the two in front, arm in arm, pull a wooden plough to represent the yoked oxen, the Thurpos Boes, while the third, su Thurpu Voinarzu, guides them like a farmer. Among the other figures joining the procession, su Thurpu the sower scatters bran as a sign of good luck, while su Thurpu Vrailarzu, the blacksmith, follows the herd miming the shoeing of the oxen. Every now and then the Thurpos pounce on the crowd like oxen and catch unmasked acquaintances, forcing them to buy a drink.

The rite and the calendar

The cycle of the Thurpos opens in mid-January with the bonfires of Sant’Antonio Abate, which in Orotelli inaugurate the carnival. On carnival days the procession makes its orderly way to the main square, where a trio of Thurpos lifts a person chosen from the crowd onto their shoulders and offers them wine: the chosen one will not be released until they return the invitation. On Shrove Tuesday the roles are reversed and it is the Thurpos who offer drinks to the spectators; the festivities continue late into the evening with local food and drink, music and Sardinian dances. In autumn the village opens its courtyards during Autunno in Barbagia in Orotelli. Related masks of the Barbagia include the Mamuthones of Mamoiada, the Boes e Merdules of nearby Ottana and Su Bundhu of Orani.