Sagra (festival)

Sagra (plural: sagre ) is the Italian word for the parish festival . These festivals, which usually last several days and are often connected with a pilgrimage, usually bear the name of the respective saint or the place or the church (e.g. San Mauro in Sorgono ) and have a long tradition, some of which include equestrian games such as the Palio or the S'Ardia is connected.

Today, however, Sagra also generally refers to a folk festival that is dedicated to a regional agricultural product or a gastronomic specialty (e.g. regional pasta dishes , olive oil , wine ; typically these festivals are then called Sagra dell'uva - festival of grapes, Sagra della castagna - Chestnut Festival, Sagra del Cinghiale - Wild Boar Festival etc.). Many of these festivals have arisen in recent years and are not necessarily associated with a church fair. Organizers are often parishes or associations that earn money for their work through the sagre.

Probably the most colorful and largest sagre with hundreds of participants (and many thousands of spectators) due to their traditional costume parades take place in Sardinia :

• Sagra di Sant'Efisio in Cagliari on May 1st
• Cavalcata Sarda in Sassari on Ascension Day
• Sagra del Redentore in Nuoro on the last Sunday of August

The festivals in honor of Saint Antonio Abate on January 17th (they are often postponed to the following weekend and are known for their giant fires - su fugurone -) take place in many places in Sardinia and, as they take place outside the tourist season, to those of the larger events that have best preserved the original character.