May begins with one of the most important religious holidays on the island, feast of St. Efisio. Inspired by the piety and faith of the entire island, it is celebrated in honor of the holy martyr Efisius, who was tortured and killed in Nora on January 15, in year 303. In 1652 the island was ravaged by a pestilential wave, which had the most victims in Cagliari, one of them being event the archbishop. The priests prayed to Saint Efisius, to rid them of the deadly epidemic, and promised him an annual celebratory procession as expression of their gratitude. The plague really vanished and thus since 1656 there have been countinuos exuberant celebrations and pilgrimages with the statue of this martyr every May 1st. On May 2nd the city of Pula honors him, where around noon thousands of believers wait to witness the arrival of the procession. St. Efisius is carried through the streets of the entire city to the church of St. John the Baptist, where mass is celebrated. The whole procession is accompanied by the music of “Launeddas“, the knights and women are dressed in traditional costumes. Around 6 pm the saint’s procession accompanies him to Nora, the place of his martyrdom, and a solemn mass is held in the local church, dedicated to him and built above his ancient prison. In the evening (around 8 pm), accompanied by the faithful with candles and torches, the procession returns to Pula, to the church of San Giovanni Battista, where another mass takes place followed by the traditional fireworks. On May 4th, in the early morning, Sant’Efisio embarks on the journey back to Cagliari. Many faithful takes part in the entire procession and accompany the saint on foot all the way from Cagliari to Pula and back.
Another unique and unforgettable event in May is the Cavalcata Sarda, the second largest horse festival after Sa Sartiglia held in February. The celebration begins on the third Sunday in May, early in the morning, with a procession along a 2-kilometer route through the streets of the historic centre of Sassari, based in Piazza d’Italia. Both on foot or on traccas, carts drawn by oxen and decorated with flowers, about sixty folk groups and almost thirty horses participate from all over Sardinia. Everyone typically wears traditional clothing, according to their places of origin, often enriched with high-quality embroidery and gold and silver filigree jewellery. The afternoon is devoted to the pariglie, equestrian competitions in which the bravest knights perform spectacular acrobatics on racehorses in the city’s hippodrome. From the evening until the late night, the Piazza d’Italia hosts a parade of Sardinian songs and dances: traditional music and formations to the tunes of launeddas, tenor songs and accordions.
Spring in Ogliastra is the spring alter ego of the autumn Cortes Apertas. The character of the event is similar, the cities in the heart of Sardinia offer the public the best of their traditions and quality production, but the geographical area is different, instead of Barbagia the historical regions of Marghine, Planargia, Ogliastra and Baronia are involved.
Also worth mentioning in May is the Porto Cervo Wine & Food Festival, opening the summer season on the Emerald Coast, or the Monumenti Aperti (“Open Monuments”) event, which takes place throughout the month at various locations and allows the public to visit selected monuments for a reduced entrance fee or even for free.
Pleasant temperatures reaching maximums of 25 degrees usually tempt the first enthusiasts to swim or sunbathe. May opens the swimming season – especially in the south Sardinia.