Hundred thousands of people for Efisio, martyr and glorious saint of the III century A.D.

Since 349 years ago up until now, on the 1° of May Cagliari stops to honour its saint patron, Sant’Efisio, attracting hundred thousands visitors and believers from all over the world. This is the most important popular event in Campidano and one of the main in Sardinia: folklorist groups from all over the Island participate into a mix of colours and traditions, flavours and sounds. 
  
Efisio, came from an aristocratic family of Elia (a place in Asia Minor). He was a Roman army official sent to Sardinia to combat against Christians. Here, he converted to Christianity and in 303 A.D, he was executed in Nora for not renouncing to the faith.

In 1656 the city of Cagliari invoked the Saint to end the plague that was decimating millions of people all around Sardinia: in the city 12 thousands out of 20 thousand habitants died. Prayers were listened and, from that year (not even the 1943 bombing stopped him: in that occasion the Saint was exceptionally transported on a milk delivery track) Cagliari people honour Efisio. The statue of the martyr is accompanied around the streets of the centre on a seventeenth century carriage and, then escorted by epochal uniformed militiamen, on horseback to the little church in Nora .
 
Together with the militiamen also go the “Alter Nos” (the mayor or another exponent of the municipality; until 1848 represented by the Viceroy), the “Guardianìa dell’Arciconfraternita di Sant’Efisio” (confraternity established in 1539 by the Edict of Pope Paul III Edict),the launeddas (traditional instrument) players, thousands of costumed participants from their respective town and the “traccas”, oxcart adorned with flowers.
 
Thousands of worshipers follow the procession to the destination. The Saint returns to Cagliari on the 4th of May.