Sardinia’s ancient masked rite of mamuthones and issohadores – in pictures

From the mid-January to the end of the Carnival, the Mamuthones and Issohadores take the streets of Mamoiada, in the mountainous heartland of Sardinia. This is the time when herdsmen and farmers across the Mediterranean mostly need the power of masks, as it is essential to cast winter away and foster the coming of spring. During the procession, Mamuthones are tamed by the Issohadores, reminding people of the supremacy of men over the beast. Strength hangs in the balance when it comes to picking the costumes: Mamuthones march at a lumbering pace bearing a load of over 25 kilos, orderly contained by the Issohadores who parade at a lighter pace, throwing their lazoos in the hope of capturing women of the public, a good omen and a symbol of fertility.
The mamuthones always march in groups of 12, a reference to the number of months in a year.