The knight of the year is Nicolò Arriu : it was he who won the handkerchief of the winner of “Sa cassa de s'Acchixedda” . At the first light of dawn, this morning in the countryside of Guasila, the traditional heifer hunt (s'Acchiscedda) took place, the origin of which dates back to the era of Spanish domination in Sardinia. The bachelors of the town (bagadius) participated in the competition , organized as part of the celebrations in honor of the patroness Maria Vergine Assunta, in turn opposed by a dozen married men (coiaus) in their race to hunt the heifer.
Nicolò Arriu, a young but very skilled knight of Guasila, managed to stop the calf's run with the snare, in “corrus limpius” (surrounding only the horns with a lasso), as established by the regulations handed down orally over the centuries.
After capture, the heifer was hoisted on a cart pulled by the yoke of oxen, filled with myrtle twigs, a symbol of fertility, as well as lemons stuck in its horns and those of the oxen. The winner was awarded the symbol of triumph , the fresh cane to which a large silk handkerchief is tied which he will then have to give to his girlfriend with the hope of getting married soon and entering adulthood.
Tomorrow, however, in the afternoon of August 15th, is the great day of the Palio di Santa Maria organized by the Guasilese horse racing association in collaboration with the Municipality and the Union of Municipalities Trexenta.
It will be the horse Tic Toc of the Pisano stable, mounted by the jockey Riccardo Sulis , to defend the colors of Guasila on the occasion of the 35th edition of the horse race. The prize money (10,000 euros) is one of those capable of attracting the most important stables and the most experienced jockeys in Sardinia. The Palio dei Vicinati will take place between the qualifications and the final.