Religion, The Sea

     Although its capital has moved to Brasilia, Brazil is still mostly a line of coastal cities, and the sea lies deep in Brazil's history and consciousness, as ceremonies show. I think that they are linked through syncretism with Candlemas, the feast of the Virgin Mary. The southern state of Rio Grande do Sul celebrated Our Lady of the Navigators with long street processions. The sea is always present in Rio. In Bahia, the black population celebrated Imanja, the goddess of the sea, dancing and throwing gifts into sea. This was a pretext for more festivities, which featured champaign.
     Meanwhile people were worried about the collapse of the economy. The Bank of Brazil changed heads twice, and some politicians implied that the U.S. was the cause of the trouble. The Ford factory at Sao Bernardo, near Sao Paulo, was a chaotic scene as workers lost their jobs. One young woman was crying, and the other shared her feelings.
     All the festivities were a facade hiding the misery of people trying to forget it. They do more harm than good, and if the Evangelical congressmen can make the country come to its senses, more power to them.

Ronald Hilton - 02/03/99