{"id":2389,"date":"2017-05-28T18:31:53","date_gmt":"2017-05-28T23:31:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.meredithwwatts.com\/MWBrazilBlog\/?p=2389"},"modified":"2019-07-29T12:37:29","modified_gmt":"2019-07-29T17:37:29","slug":"walkabout-in-sao-luis-maranhao-brazil-first-days-may-2017","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.meredithwwatts.com\/MWBrazilBlog\/?p=2389","title":{"rendered":"Walkabout in S\u00e3o Lu\u00eds (Maranh\u00e3o), Brazil (May 2017)"},"content":{"rendered":"

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These are photos from our six-week research visit to S\u00e3o Lu\u00eds (Maranh\u00e3o), Brazil, in the summer of 2017.\u00a0 It does not have a special theme,\u00a0 except that we are happy to be able to continue our research here and are continually amazed by the diversity and riches of the place.<\/p>\n

We were preparing to go on the road again to interior to photograph and film a variety of local ways that Festa do Divino is celebrated here.<\/p>\n

The following photos are from our first getting grounded in the city and attending a few events before getting on a bumpy bus ride to the interior.<\/p>\n

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The old Spanish\/Portuguese steps were once a central path to the colonial center of S\u00e3o Lu\u00eds. The Centro Historico is now preserved, more or less, but as an artifact. Non-tourist-related businesses and the middle class are scarcely represented, but the area is a primary a center for celebrations.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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The old colonial walls are tatty and romantic on the surface, but the spaces behind them are often busy with market and artisan activity.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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In the run-up to the festival, the central city teems with men and women in orange doing various preparations.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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This area \u2014 Praia Grande \u2014 was once a busy waterfront shipping and fishing port. It has modernized to move cars and buses about, but the society around the area is complex and full of unresolved inequities.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Near Praia Grande, behind the vaguely romantic decay is some renovation (note windows) behind which are art galleries and shops.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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In the central market building there are still traditional foods (here dried shrimp and farofa \u2014 processed cassava\/mandioca flour). You can also buy a 50-kilo bag of garlic nearby \u2014 and, of course, bottles of fierce local products (see below)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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The purple liqueur is tiquira, made from fermented manioc (cassava). The other products are various oils and sweets, mostly locally-produced (for example, candy from the buriti palm = buriti palm oil with lots of sugar).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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This symbol is outside a liquor store in the central market.\u00a0 when he saw my interest he took hat from where he had hung it on it horns and went about sorting his liquor bottles.\u00a0 It seemed the wrong time to discuss theology and symbolics with him.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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This macram\u00e9d tree stands in a plaza (Pra\u00e7a Nauro Machado) that is a center for popular celebrations and performances.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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The city has a rich tradition of public art and graffiti. Old walls are often scenes of artistic and social expression. In S\u00e3o Paulo some of the public walls along the thoroughfares have been prepared with bricks and plantings to discourage public art such as this.\u00a0 Here, in S\u00e3o Lu\u00eds, there are plenty of old walls waiting for people to express their politics.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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My neighor\u2019s business is on the street just around the corner from our pousada.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Altar at the celebration of Festo do Divino at the Casa de Mina Santa Maria. These icons and festivals were once dominated and promoted by the institutional Catholic Church, but are carried out by alternate spiritual and community groups outside official sanction. This part of the ceremony is the installation of the \u201ctribunal\u201d or symbolic royalty, reminiscent of colonial Portugal.\u00a0 The figure at lower right in the photo is wearing strings of beads that are symbolic of various Afro-Brazilian orix\u00e1s worshiped here.\u00a0 The doves crown are the symbols traditionally here to represent the Holy Ghost\/Espirito Santo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Celebrant, drummer, Festa do Divino, Case de Mina Santa Maria<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Children represent the imperial court at this celebration. They are selected a year in advance and for this day are elaborately dressed and prepared with make up. The ceremony is often difficult for them in the heat and humidity, as is the procession from a church through the streets in 90+ degree sun.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Member of the symbolic \u201cimperial\u201d tribunal that is installed in this ceremony<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Caxiera in the (mostly) women\u2019s tradition of drummers dedicated to the Espirito Santo. The origins of this custom is not clear, but this practice of\u00a0 \u201cDrummers for the Holy Ghost) seems not to have stemmed from the original Catholic celebration.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Young caxeira, Casa de Mina Santa Maria, Festa do Espirito Santo. Although many of the drummers are of advanced age, the tradition is not dying out.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Caxiera, with younger members of the court\/tribunal in the background.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Caboclo de Pena, Bumba-meu-boi de Maracan\u00e3. The entity \u201cGuriat\u00e3\u201d embroidered on his vest refers to a warrior spirit who prepares the way for the appearance of he enchanted being Rei Sebasti\u00e3o (the spirit of the Portuguese king lost in the 16th century in the Crusades).\u00a0 Kn Sebastian\u2019s body was never found and there emerged a Portuguese cult of \u201cSebastionism\u201d that awaits his return.\u00a0 the legend is merged with Maranh\u00e3o lore, and King Sebastion is said to appear in the full moon on the dunes (Lenco\u00eds) as an enchanted ox with a red star on his head.\u00a0 Many practices (the day of Saint John, Sebastionism, and others) have merged with regional Brazilian legends and African-Brazilian practices.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Caboclo de Pena (representing a feathered AmerIndian, or perhaps a forest spirit or enchanted being)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Young Caboclo de Fita (ribboned caboclo, usually invoking an indio or mesti\u00e7o figure from the colonial period).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Two singers in a new Bumba-meu-boi<\/em> group, Boi de Pindar\u00e9<\/em>.\u00a0 At left is Saviani who is best known for his years as a lead singer for Bumba-meu-boi de Floresta\/Apol\u00f4nio<\/em>. Here he is supporting the new group, in its first rehearsals (held at the Casa de Nhozinho, a cultural center and museum)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Boy, with the new Bumba-meu-boi group, Boi de Pindar\u00e9.\u00a0 Most Brazilians are not shy around cameras, but they insist on striking a pose.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Percussionist (actually all musical accompaniment is percussion and singing)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Boi de Pindar\u00e9, rehearsal<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Rehearsal \u2014 eventually she will probably dress as a tap\u00faia<\/em>, a figure invoking the AmerIndians of Maranh\u00e3o as portrayed in the Baixada<\/em> tradition of the Bumba-meu-boi<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Rehearsing, playing matracas<\/em> (blocks of wood struck together for rhythm)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Percussion, Boi de Pindar\u00e9<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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While watching the parade through the street, we were in the upstairs of a cultural building\/museum (Casa de Nhozinho) where this example of local \u201cbobbin lace\u201d (renda de bilro<\/em>) is displayed. The pins mark a pattern that is executed by maneuvering the bobbins back and forth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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The group Boi de Pindar\u00e9 finishes its rehearsal and parades through the street. The ox (boi<\/em>) leading the procession is newly-embroidered.\u00a0 It marks the occasion for founding this new group as a promessa<\/em> (vow).\u00a0 The group is the fulfilment of a vow to honor their patron saint for granting health to the daughter of the organizer. The religious promessa<\/em> is a heritage tradition important in the history of the Bumba-meu-boi, though commercial and political motivations are becoming common also.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Daytime view from our pousada<\/em>, over neighboring buildings looking out to the bridge<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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View from our pousada<\/em> \u2014 the bridge across the Rio Anil.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u00a0 These are photos from our six-week research visit to S\u00e3o Lu\u00eds (Maranh\u00e3o), Brazil, in the summer of 2017.\u00a0 It does not have a special theme,\u00a0 except that we are happy to be able to continue our research here and are continually amazed by the diversity and riches of the place. We were preparing to … Continue reading Walkabout in S\u00e3o Lu\u00eds (Maranh\u00e3o), Brazil (May 2017)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2389","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-images-of-sao-luis-and-maranhao"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.meredithwwatts.com\/MWBrazilBlog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2389","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.meredithwwatts.com\/MWBrazilBlog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.meredithwwatts.com\/MWBrazilBlog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.meredithwwatts.com\/MWBrazilBlog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.meredithwwatts.com\/MWBrazilBlog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2389"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.meredithwwatts.com\/MWBrazilBlog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2389\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2830,"href":"https:\/\/www.meredithwwatts.com\/MWBrazilBlog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2389\/revisions\/2830"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.meredithwwatts.com\/MWBrazilBlog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2389"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.meredithwwatts.com\/MWBrazilBlog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2389"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.meredithwwatts.com\/MWBrazilBlog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2389"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}