Gennarxu: January in Sardinia.

Gennarxu and Gennargiu in southern Sardinia, Ennarzu and Bennarzu in the north: we are in January, the first of twelve months and the month that opens all the nursery rhymes taught to children. January is a time of renewal and good intentions, but it also represents a child who is cold, sitting by the fire in one of the many nursery rhymes for toddlers:

“Gennàrgiu, mort”e frius est sètziu peis a fogu“.

It is commonly thought that the name January may originate from one of the oldest Roman deities, Janus Bifrontus, the god with two faces who symbolised the beginning and end of everything.

The cult of Janus

Unlike many other ancient deities, Janus cannot be assimilated to Hellenistic figures, he is a characteristically Roman god. However, he may have roots in deities of the Sumerian-Babylonian tradition such as Isimud or Ansar, both depicted with two faces. His cult is probably very ancient and dates back to a primitive era, when the religious practices of the Italic peoples were strongly connected to the natural cycles of harvesting and sowing. In any case, the term ‘Ianus’ may derive from ‘ianua’, which in Latin means ‘door’, thus suggesting the meaning of the two heads: one turned towards the past and the other towards the future. January in fact marks the transition between the old and the new year, with the door symbolising change and passage.

Numerous epithets used to describe this deity - ‘Divum Deus’, ‘Divum Pater’, ‘Ianus Pater’, ‘Ianus Bifrons’ - indicate that many scholars believe that Janus was probably the central figure of the Roman pantheon in primitive times. Even St Augustine, in his ‘De civitate Dei’, refers to the fact that ‘ad Ianum pertinent initia factorum’.

For the ancient Romans, Janus was not the son of any deity, but as the ‘father of the gods’, he was always present from the origin of all things. This is also confirmed in Ovid's ‘Fasti’, where it is recounted that Janus was present when the four elements separated to give life to all things. Varro also refers to Janus as ‘Cerus’, or ‘creator’, recognising him as the supreme initiator of the world.

In his reform of the Roman calendar, Numa Pompilius dedicated the first month following the winter solstice to Janus, which became the first month of the new calendar with the Julian reform of 46 BC.

January and the fires: between Saint Anthony Abbot and Saint Sebastian

As mentioned, the month of January represented the passage from the past to the future, and, as in all rituals of transition, fire takes on a symbolic and favourable significance. It is not surprising that in several regions of Italy, January is associated with one of the most ‘ambiguous’ saints ever: Saint Anthony Abbot. Sardinia is no different, with over a hundred communities celebrating ‘Sant'Antoni “e su fogu”.

The first bonfires appear with the Epiphany and intensify to involve the whole of Sardinia for the feast of Saint Anthony Abbot, followed by that of Saint Sebastian. During the month of January, in fact, such celebrations are held to symbolise the passage from darkness to light, when the hours of sunlight increase again in anticipation of spring, bidding farewell to the old year and welcoming the new. These rituals combine sacred and profane aspects, with pagan and Christian practices merging, giving rise to ancient traditions with deep roots that are lost in the course of time.

Fire rites, with their purifying, favourable, divinatory and consecratory powers, date back to very ancient origins in Sardinia. Between 16 and 17 January, around one hundred communities celebrate Saint Anthony Abbot, the ‘saint of fire’, who is compared to Prometheus, with numerous bonfires in a vibrant scene of perfumes, lights and sparks. This celebration is one of the oldest and most deeply rooted in Sardinian culture and continues to be deeply felt.

But bonfires also continue for St Sebastian, who is celebrated from 19 to 24 January. For this celebration, too, elements of pagan and Christian rituals merge. Celebrations take place all over the island, but are particularly lively in the Campidano area, with ‘Su Fogadoni’ or ‘Su Fogaroni de Santu Srebestianu’. Here, too, wood is collected weeks in advance to start the big bonfire.

These ancient popular celebrations testify to the variety and richness of a beautiful island like Sardinia, its conviviality, charm and magic, giving it an absolute uniqueness.

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Roberta Carboni has been a tourist guide and art historian for more than 10 years. She lives in Cagliari and is passionate about Sardinia, which she has loved so much, all her life, which is why she has chosen to tell its story through exclusive thematic tours. In this way, she contributes to making the island known not only to those who do not yet know it, but also to the Sardinians themselves. The tours take place both within Cagliari, i.e. in the historic centre and other parts of the city, and in the surroundings of the city, going also to the south and centre of Sardinia.

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