L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JUNE 15, 2023 www.italoamericano.org 28 L'Italo-Americano E very year on the 6 t h a n d 7 t h o f July, the small village of Sedi- lo, located in the Oristano province of Sar- dinia, comes alive with the t r a d i t i o n a l c e l e b r a t i o n of L'Ardia di San Costan- t i n o . T h e t e r m a r d i a i s derived from the verb bar- diare, which translates to "protect" or "guard." The genesis of this festivity is deeply rooted in local tra- d i t i o n s , r e l i g i o u s b e l i e f s and... a tad of imperial histo- ry, because the event is dedi- cated to one of Rome's great- est leaders, Constantine. The event involves a grand pro- cession on horseback, which follows a designated route leading to the sanctuary ded- i c a t e d t o t h e R o m a n Emperor Constantine - referred to locally as Santu Antinu. An Emperor who is a l s o a s a i n t ? W e l l , i f y o u remember some stuff about ancient history, you know it's all true. E m p e r o r C o n s t a n t i n e famously triumphed over the usurper Maxentius at t h e B a t t l e o f M i l v i a n Bridge in 312 AD; legend has it that before the battle, he h a d t w o v i s i o n s : a c r o s s inscribed with the phrase In hoc signo vinces ("With this sign, you will conquer") and later, Christ himself, com- manding him to affix the sign onto the labarum, the mili- tary standard. This action symbolically replaced the image of the imperial eagle. N e e d l e s s t o s a y , Constantine won. A n d w h i l e t h e d e t a i l s a b o u t h i s c o n v e r s i o n t o Christianity remain unclear, we do know for certain that i n 3 1 3 A D , C o n s t a n t i n e enacted the Edict of Milan, granting freedom of worship to the Roman Empire's citi- zens and putting an end to t h e p e r s e c u t i o n o f Christians. This is why, after h i s d e a t h , a p o p u l a r c u l t formed around him. Time to return to Sedilo and its Ardia, which is not the only one, in fact, to take place in Sardinia. Up until t h e e a r l y 2 0 t h c e n t u r y , a similar event also took place in the medieval village of S i e t e F u e n t e s n e a r S a n t u Lussurgiu, during celebra- t i o n s h o n o r i n g S a i n t Leonardo. An anonymous account dating around 1860, titled Of Some Equestrian Games in Popular Festivals of Sardinia, Especially the Sartilla of Oristano, men- tions two remarkable festi- vals: one in honor of San L e o n a r d o a t S a n t u Lussurgiu, and the other, San Costantino at Sedilo, where spectacular equestrian games called "Ardie" were held. But what happens during the Ardia? The procession begins when three lead rid- ers gather with other knights before the parochial house. T h e p r i e s t g i v e s t h e m blessed banners (sas pande- las) in colors of gold, red, and white. The priest, several months earlier, nominates a lead rider (prima pandela) f r o m a p a r i s h r e g i s t e r according to chronological order. This rider has to lead the Ardia, with two other riders of his choosing (sa segunda and sa terza pan- dela). These riders and their three escorts (sas iscortas) have the critical task of pre- venting other riders from surpassing the lead rider – a symbol of Constantine's vic- tory over paganism. The procession, guided by the priest and the mayor and accompanied by a band and fusiliers, proceeds through the main streets towards the s a n c t u a r y . A t s u Frontigheddu, a hillock over- looking the road to the sanc- tuary's entrance, the priest blesses the participants once m o r e . T h e y t h e n d a s h towards sa Muredda, a circu- lar wall with a cross at the center, where they make sev- e r a l c l o c k w i s e a n d a n t i - clockwise circuits. The con- clusion of the spectacle is marked by a final uphill gal- lop toward the church. After the Mass, the entire p r o c e s s i o n o f k n i g h t s r e a s s e m b l e s a t s u F r o n t i g h e d d u a n d h e a d s back towards the village to r e a c h t h e p r i e s t ' s h o u s e , w h e r e t h e b a n n e r s a r e r e t u r n e d . T h e c e r e m o n y repeats the next morning in a more intimate and collect- ed atmosphere. On the final d a y , t h e f o o t v e r s i o n o f the Ardia takes place, where many youths participate, and the lead runners and escorts are chosen in the same man- ner as before. T h e I t a l i a n verb rafforzare (rahf-fohr-tsah- rai) comes from the union of the prefix "ra-", which indicates repetition or reinforcement, and the root noun forza. The latter, in turn, comes from the Latin adjective fortis, w h i c h g a v e t h e l a t e L a t i n noun fortia. Rafforzare was used for the first time in the 13th century. R a f f o r z a r e t h e r e f o r e , means to strengthen, to rein- force, to make more robust. It's frequently used in both a physical and metaphorical sense. In physical terms, it's used to refer to the action of mak- ing an object, structure, or material stronger or more resistant. For instance, Il nuovo design del ponte lo rafforza contro i terremoti, translates to "The new design of the bridge strengthens it against earthquakes. When used metaphorical- ly, rafforzare indicates the action of making an argu- ment, a point of view, a belief, a relationship, or a feeling more solid or convincing. For example, Le recenti notizie rafforzano la sua opinione sulla politica internazionale" translates to "Recent news s t r e n g t h e n s h e r v i e w s o n international politics." Rafforzare is also used in t h e c o n t e x t o f p e r s o n a l i m p r o v e m e n t o r d e v e l o p - ment, as in improving one's skills, abilities, or health. For e x a m p l e , S t o p r e n d e n d o lezioni di pianoforte per raf- forzare le mie abilità musi- cali, which means "I am tak- i n g p i a n o l e s s o n s t o strengthen my musical skills." In economics, it is used to talk about strengthening an economic situation or the financial position of a compa- ny. For instance, L'acquisto di quella startup ha rafforzato la posizione dell'azienda sul mercato, translates to "The acquisition of that startup strengthened the company's position in the market." In a medical context, raf- forzare is used to refer to strengthening health or an o r g a n . F o r e x a m p l e , U n a dieta equilibrata aiuta a raf- forzare il sistema immuni- tario, translates to "A bal- anced diet helps to strengthen the immune system." Fare esercizio rafforza il cuore! Exercising strenghtens the heart! I l l o r o l e g a m e s i è r a f - f o r z a t o d o p o c h e h a n n o iniziato a lavorare insieme Their bond strengthened a f t e r t h e y b e g a n w o r k i n g together Mangia sano, se vuoi raf- forzare il tuo corpo e vivere meglio! Eat healthy if you want a stronger body and live better! LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE Rafforzare: the verb that turns you into a superhero The Sardinian tradition dedicated to an Emperor: the Ardia of Constantine (Photo: Rawpixelimages/Dreamstime) Some of the Ardia di Costantino's participants (Photo: givi585/Shutterstock)

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