Caratza de Porcu Masks
Traditional masks of the Ottana (NU) carnival (Barbagia, Sardinia) - Caratza de Porcu (Boar's Mask).
They are made by hand, carving logs of different lineages with gouges and knife, painted with natural mordants and finished with fine waxes.
These masks reproduce the head of the wild boar, called "sa caratza de porcu," a secondary figure in the propitiatory rites of the traditional Ottana carnival, which opens each year on the evening of January 16 with a performance that takes place around a large bonfire in the town square.
Mostly wild pear trees are used to make the mask, and there may be various decorations, the most famous of which is the flower of life, a symbol of prosperity, hope and auspiciousness, and floral decorations.