Festa de São Lázaro: uma expressão da religiosidade popular no município de Nhamundá/Amazonas

Abstract

The present study assumes the purpose of verifying in the context of popular religiosity, which are the mythical-symbolic elements present at the festival of São Lázaro in the municipality of Nhamundá, in Amazonas - since the festivity is expressed through practices, beliefs and symbolisms originated from the hybridism between religions of African and Catholic origin in Brazil, but which in the Amazon ended up incorporating new practices, involving beliefs in elements of nature also associated with indigenous ancestry. The locus of the research, concentration in the São Benedito community - located on the margins of Paraná do Aduacá - on the border between the municipalities of Nhamundá and Parintins - mesoregion of the Lower Amazon. The general objective of the research was to verify, in the context of popular religiosity, which mythic-symbolic elements were present at the São Lázaro festival in the municipality of Nhamundá, in Amazonas, and for that purpose we first proposed to present and characterize the community (with the its social, historical and cultural context, its location, itssaints, its people and its social organization); second, we seek to carry out a historiographical debate on festivals and religiosity in view of the fact that the themes are the theoretical bases of the present study; finally, we seek analysis through the practices, beliefs and myths of the São Lázaro festival as expressions of popular religiosity present in the São Benedito community in Nhamundá-AM. The methodological path turned to the qualitative approach, with ethnography as the main field support, as well as the use of informal and open and semi structured conversations. The main result of the study indicates that the festival of São Lázaro consolidates itself as an expression of popular religiosity, because in addition to being a party of promise, its practices, beliefs and myths are the result of the confluence between different ethnic, social and cultural matrixes.