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INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY — PUBLICATION NO. 12 



works ; the auctioneer, who sells the prendas ; the 

 members of the village band and the singers ; and 

 those persons whose tasks are to set up the booth 

 where the auctioneer will work to decorate the 

 andores on wliich the images are to be carried in 

 procession, to arrange flowers and other decora- 

 tions for the church, and to raise the 111 astro. 



Approximately 2 weeks preceding the date set 

 for a festa, invitations are given out by the fest- 

 eiros, most often orally but sometimes by way of 

 printed forms arranged in Boa Vista, inviting 

 relatives and friends to participate and to furnish 

 prendas to be auctioned off at the festa so as to re- 

 imburse the festeiros for the cost of preparing it.^'^^ 



Among the expense of a festa may be 180 to 

 350 cruzeiros for special Masses and a hundred cru- 

 zeiros for each of from 9 to 12 members of the 

 band. The cost of fireworks obviously varies with 

 the amount of fireworks used but ordinarily is 

 around 400 cruzeiros. In addition, gratuities are 

 given for several services, including 10 to 20 cru- 

 zeiros to decorate each andor, from 30 to 40 cru- 

 zeiros for the singers at each reza or Mass and 

 (sometimes) procession, 20 to 40 cruzeiros to wash 

 and iron the linen in the church and 20 cruzeiros 

 for cleaning up the building before and aftei- the 

 festa.^^'^ 



A ritual which is a part of many festas is that 

 of the raising of the mastro. The latter is a long 

 pole, sometimes painted in vivid colors, to the 

 upper end of which is attached a iandeira (flag) 

 to honor a given santo (pi. 16, a). At the last 

 festa for Sao Joao, for example, a mastro 27 feet 

 high was erected. To its upper portion had been 

 attached a wooden frame about 15 inches square 

 in which was a cloth "flag," with the image and 

 name of Sao Joao stamped upon it. The mastro 

 may be removed a month or so after the festa or 

 it may be left until tlie next celebration for the 

 santo, when the mastro is taken down and the 

 "flag," now faded and torn by the action of the 

 elements, is replaced. A mestre de mastro (master 

 of the mastro ) is appointed to oversee the ritual. 



Occasionally, a mastro is erected near a house 

 and kept there permanently. A farmer, for in- 

 stance, who is named Antonio in honor of Santo 



287 Currency is sometimes given in addition to a prenda, or in 

 substitution of it. 



268 When a Jesta is given at a cliapel outside the village, those 

 who cut the grass and weeds around the chapel are usually fur- 

 nished bread, caf^, and pinga while at work. 



Antonio de Padua, raised a mastro in front of his 

 farmhouse several years ago (pi. 17, e). Each 

 year, on June 13, or the "day" of Santo Antonio, 

 a new "flag" is exchanged for the old and, when 

 the pole itself is in need of being replaced, a new 

 mastro is set up. No festa is held at this time, 

 although a few neighbors may come in to assist. 

 A bonfire is built near the mastro and the family 

 and guests take cafe and quentao.^^ At this time, 

 the children usually sing verses dedicated to Santo 

 Antonio, and take turns leaping over the bonfire. 



On the eve of a festa, an air of expectancy and 

 suppressed excitement is to be noted in the com- 

 munity. A larger number of farmers is seen in 

 the village than on other occasions and there are 

 more persons at the evening reza. The next day, 

 the village fills with farmers and their families 

 and, if the festa be one of the more important 

 festas, with persons also from one or more neigh- 

 boring towns, especially those who once lived in the 

 community or whose relatives still reside there. 

 When the band begins to play in the usually quiet 

 praga, faces reflect a high degi'ee of pleasure. Con- 

 versation groups form spontaneously here and 

 thei'e. Young men walk together up and down 

 the praga, looking over the young women who are 

 walking together in the opposite direction and who 

 often blush at tliese glances. Everyone is dressed 

 better than on other occasions; a few appear ill 

 at ease in new suits or new dresses. Almost no 

 one is barefoot. 



The festa of Semana Santa lasts a week. It be- 

 gins on Palin Sunday. Almost everyone to be 

 seen in the village on that day, whether a man, 

 a woman, or a child, is carrying a palm leaf, or 

 a portion of a palm leaf, to be raised during the 

 morning Mass, when mention is made of the way 

 having been strewn with palm branches as Jesus 

 entered Jerusalem. After being blessed by the 

 padre, the palm leaves will be taken home and 

 kept throughout the year. Following the morn- 

 ning Mass, many farm families remain in the 

 village. At an advantageous point, an occasional 

 stall has been set up for the purpose of selling 

 food and drink to those who have come a long 

 distance and who may become thirsty or hungry 

 before their return home. 



By early afternoon, the streets are nearly filled 

 with villagers and country folk, ready to partici- 



-^^ See section on Pinga, Tobacco, and Caft^, p. 40. 



