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INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY — PUBLICATION NO. 1 2 



Joao on the evening preceding June 24, and that of 

 Sao Pedro on the evening preceding June 29. 

 The preparations for the first of these festas begin 

 ahnost with the first day of the month and hardly 

 has it terminated when preparations are under 

 way for the next. June is a period of lessened 

 agricultural activity. Most of the harvest, especi- 

 ally of maize and beans, terminates in late May or 

 early June. The time until the planting, in July 

 and August, for the seca (dry season) is perhaps 

 more free for the farmer than any other period of 

 the year. 



Although each of these three festas is dedicated 

 to a santo, its character is more secular than reli- 

 gious. The padre is not present. A reza may be 

 held on the eve of the festa, but this is the only 

 direct connection with either chui'ch or chapel. 

 Some family in the community sponsors the festa 

 and offers its home for the event. In the case of 

 the festa of Sao Joao, the family is the same every 

 year; in each of the other two cases, it varies. 



The festa of Sao Jam is sponsored by Nha 

 Benta, a widow who lives in the village. This 

 year, wires were strung from either side of her 

 house across the street to either side of a neighbor's 

 house, and pennants, made of white, green, and 

 yellow tissue paper, were hung from them. The 

 ground immediately below was well swept. To 

 one side of the house, wood was piled for "the bon- 

 fire of Sao Joao." 



Following a reza in the church, village and farm 

 families gathered at the house for the raising of a 

 mastro with the "flag'' of Sao Joao, an auction of 

 prendas to help with expenses, and a dance "to pass 

 the time" until the hour of the principal event, at 

 3:30 in the morning, when a procession would 

 form to carry the santo to the creek "to bless the 

 water." Meanwhile, the bonfire had been lighted. 

 At each of two small tables, set up under the 

 pennants waving in the breeze, quentao was being 

 sold. 



Shortly after the appointed hour of 3 : 30 in the 

 morning, an andor, decorated with rose-colored 

 crepe paper, was carried out of the house by four 

 girls. On it rested the image of Sao Joao, about 

 8 inches high, which is kept in the oratorio in the 

 widow's house. Behind the andor^ a number of 

 girls nnd a few women, each carrying a lighted 

 candle, formed two lines. The men and boys fol- 

 lowed, in a group. The padre was not present. 



Proceeding slowly, the group made its way to ' 

 the creek that flows at the edge of the village. The 

 formation was then broken up and a large number 

 of persons went down to the edge of the water to 

 see if their faces were reflected in it. Although 

 the idea that if one fails to see his image in the 

 water, he may expect death before the next festa of 

 Sao Joao, a year later, is not as widely held as 

 formerly, it is still common. Many of the par- 

 ticipants, of both sexes and varying ages, washed 

 their faces in the creek since, it is thought, one must 

 not wash on this day after the ceremony, or evil 

 will befall him. A few persons also washed their 

 feet.-'^ Meanwhile, an elderly man took the image 

 from the andor and, going down to the creek, twice 

 made the sign of the cross over the water with the 

 hand which held the image. 



After the image had been returned to the andor^ 

 the procession re-formed, each group of persons 

 being in the same position as before, and set out 

 slowly on the return to the widow's house. Two 

 men, each with a violdo, then appeared in front of 

 the procession. The marchers stopped. The two 

 men, facing the andor, sang an improvised verse 

 to the accompaniment of their musical instruments, 

 after which an elderly woman and a girl stepped 

 in near them and the four danced forward to the 

 andor and then backward to their original posi- 

 tions, while they sang a chorus to the accompani- 

 ment of the violoes. The procession then went on 

 a few feet before again halting while the procedure 

 was repeated with a different verse. From time to 

 time, three other men "replied" to the verses given 

 out by the players, with other verses composed 

 spontaneously. This alternate advance and pause, 

 while the players and their companions sang and 

 danced, continued until the procession had reached 

 the house from which it had set out. The per- 

 formance is referred to locally as "the caruru of 

 Sao Joao." 



The verses which were sung recounted events 

 from the life of Sao Joao or referred to the virtues 

 of the santo and promises made to him. Two of 

 the verses, and the chorus, were : 



Ao meu Joao Batista 

 Eu canto cum confianga 

 Se ele protege os home 

 Nao se esquega das crianga 



=" It is also thought that anyone whose candle goes out during 

 the procession "wiU have a short life." 



