Images of the festival of Sant' Efisio   The "traccas" are followed by different groups of people wearing the traditional costumes of their villages. They walk in procession, saying or singing the traditional prayers that form part of the religious heritage of the island, creating a very evocative atmosphere. Among the most eye catching costumes are the orange coloured costumes from Desulo, the austere black dresses worn by the beautiful and very tall girls from Tempio, the traditional gold jewellery on the waistcoats of the costumes from Quartu and the barefooted fishermen from Cabras.
The horsemen are the most spectacular part of the festival. They follow the people in their traditional costumes. The first horsemen come from the Campidano region followed by the militia wearing red jackets. The militia are the armed escort for the statue of the Saint and in ancient times they used to protect the procession from the bandit raids which were frequent along the coastline. The procession winds its way along the streets of the old part of Cagliari. These streets are lined by huge crowds.
  Images of the festival of Sant' Efisio
Images of the festival of Sant' Efisio   At midday sharp, the Saint leaves his church in Stampace inside a seventeenth-century gold plated coach drawn by a pair of huge oxen. The coach is preceded by the "Guardiania", in black top hats and tails. These are a group of brothers from the confraternity of Sant'Efisio that escort the statue of the saint along the city streets. Then follows the AlterNos (who represents the mayor). He is escorted by two mace-bearers (from the municipality of Cagliari) in formal dress and by two lines of brothers and sisters in penitential dress.

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