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INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY — PUBLICATION NO. 1 2 



about 35 members of this brotherhood, each wear- 

 ing a bhie mantle, formed into two lines in front 

 of the church and, behind them, approximately the 

 same number of members of the Brotherhood of 

 the Most Holy Sacrament of Sao Roque, each wear- 

 ing a red mantle, also formed into two lines, next 

 came three girls, each dressed in white and wearing 

 white gloves, one of whom carried a banner on 

 which was embroidered the image of a dove. Be- 

 hind the three girls, were four other girls, sup- 

 porting, in horizontal position, four white poles, 

 each about 10 feet long, so as to form a square. 

 Within the square was an "Emperor," with a scep- 

 ter in his right hand, and an "Empress" carrying 

 a large silver crown on a silver tray. Behind them 

 came a band, in uniform, and the other worshipers. 



The group marched to the home of the "Em- 

 peror," near the church, where the rosea.?,-™ which 

 were lying on a red cloth upon an improvised altar, 

 were blessed by the priest and distributed by the 

 "Empress" to all persons present. On the wall 

 behind the altar was another red cloth, with the 

 image of a white dove embroidered upon it. 



In the afternoon, a procession began to form in 

 the praqa in front of the principal church. A 

 group of persons came into the fraga carrying an- 

 dores with images from another church so that, by 

 the time the procession set out, there were 23 

 images being carried. The andores had all been 

 decorated with artificial flowers and paper stream- 

 ers, the colors varying with the image. Each was 

 carried only by women and girls or only by men 

 and boys. The M'omen and girls were dressed in 

 the same color as that of the andor which they car- 

 ried. All of them wore gloves. The men and boys, 

 with few exceptions, were dressed in suits of navy 

 blue. The "Emperor" and the "Empress" occupied 

 a prominent position. After the procession, ac- 

 companied by a band, had passed through several 

 streets of the town, it returned to the main church, 

 where the images that had been brought from the 

 other sanctuary were carried once around the praqa 

 and then taken back to the church in which they 

 are usually kept. The other images remained in 

 the fraga while a priest, standing in the door of 



"» Roscas are small, round cakes, each about 6 inches in 

 diameter, without centers. The ritual appears to be a survival 

 of an ancient Portuguese custom to distribute food to the poor 

 on tile occasion of the more important festas, a custom which 

 was subsequently restricted, it is said, b.v order of Dom Manoel, 

 to the Jesta of the Divine. 



the church and speaking into a microphone, 

 preached a short sermon, after which they were 

 returned to their altars. The members of the two 

 brotherhoods then escorted the "Emperor" and 

 "Empress" to the home of the new "Emperor" and 

 "Empress," chosen for the next year's ceremony. 

 That morning, following the Mass. the man and 

 wife in question had been selected by lot. When 

 the group reached the door of this home, they 

 formed into two lines and the "Emperor" and 

 "Empress" they were escorting passed between the 

 lines into the house, where they handed their scep- 

 ter and crown over to their successors. The re- 

 mainder of the afternoon was given over to the 

 secular portion of the festM (see below). In the 

 evening, a fireworks display lasted approximately 

 a half hour. 



At 6 o'clock in the morning of the following 

 day, another salute of 21 rockets was set off, and 

 the band again paraded through the streets, play- 

 ing lively airs. At 10 o'clock, a Mass was held 

 and, an hour later, a Bando Precatorio, composed 

 of four girls, each holding a corner of a large 

 sheet, began to go through the streets of the town, 

 accompanied by the band. Persons in houses 

 along the way threw coins into the sheet. A fifth 

 girl, carrying a tray, received offerings from 

 groups on the sidewalks. In the afternoon, an 

 auction of prendas, and a procession in honor of 

 Sao Roque, were held. After the procession had 

 returned to the church, a padre preached a short 

 sermon from the doorway. 



On the following day, a Mass was held at 

 7 o'clock and, in the afternoon, a procession, both 

 in honor of Sao Cristovao ; the procession was ac- 

 companied by "all the trucks and automobiles in 

 the municipio and surrounding area," as the local 

 newspaper later reported, "since Sao Cristovao is 

 the santo of the drivers of vehicles." 



The secular portion of the festa included a ro- 

 deo; a traveling "carnival"; games of chance, 

 played at stalls set up in the main praga and else- 

 where in the town; secular music furnished by a 

 band, stationed in the principal praga, the two lo- 

 cal bands taking turns at playing; music from 

 phonograph records, and an occasional group of 

 songs sung by a local vocalist, amplified by loud 

 speakers set up in the praga; and, in the evening, 

 promenades around the square, on the part of 

 young men and women. About 80 booths had 



