{"id":1131,"date":"2009-02-17T19:11:07","date_gmt":"2009-02-17T18:11:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/icbie.net\/blog\/?p=1131"},"modified":"2009-02-17T19:11:07","modified_gmt":"2009-02-17T18:11:07","slug":"honoring-iemanja-queen-of-the-sea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/icbie.net.br\/it\/honoring-iemanja-queen-of-the-sea\/","title":{"rendered":"Honoring Iemanj\u00e1, Queen of the Sea"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Lemanj\u00e1<\/a><\/p>\n

Our friend Paranagu\u00e1 sends this report of the big condombl\u00e9 festival held on February 2.\u00a0 (English translation below)<\/em><\/p>\n

Sauda\u00e7\u00f5es a Iemanj\u00e1, rainha do mar!<\/strong>
\nO refr\u00e3o \u201cDia dois de fevereiro\/Dia de festa no mar\/Eu quero ser o primeiro\/A saudar Iemanj\u00e1\u201d tema musical do saudoso cantor e compositor baiano Dorival Caymmi \u00e9 uma sauda\u00e7\u00e3o a Rainha das \u00c1guas. Nesse dia, milhares de pessoas v\u00e3o deixar seus presentes nos balaios organizados pela Col\u00f4nia de Pescadores Z-1 do Rio Vermelho. A festa \u00e9 uma das maiores celebra\u00e7\u00f5es do candombl\u00e9 e durante todo dia muita m\u00fasica e alegria agitam o bairro.
\nA alvorada de fogos em homenagem a Iemanj\u00e1 me acordou mais cedo. Como fa\u00e7o habitualmente, fui at\u00e9 a janela do apartamento para apreciar a bela paisagem da natureza que surge diante de mim e fico contemplando o alvorecer, o mar, o vai-e-vem das ondas deslizando sobre a areia da praia da Paci\u00eancia, a brisa gostosa que penetra no ambiente, al\u00e9m da arquitetura dos casar\u00f5es antigos, a Enseada de Santana e a Mariquita. Notei tamb\u00e9m a presen\u00e7a de embarca\u00e7\u00f5es ancoradas ao largo e muitas pessoas vestidas de branco, aproveitando os primeiros raios do Sol para colocar suas oferendas nas \u00e1guas das Praias do Rio Vermelho.
\nAp\u00f3s tomar o meu caf\u00e9 me dirigir a Col\u00f4nia de Pescadores levando a minha cesta decorada por minha mulher Shirley, com a inten\u00e7\u00e3o de entregar na Casa do Peso. As longas filas que encontrei pelo caminho modificaram os meus planos. \u00c9 um \u201cbarato\u201d curtir esse ritual! Mas, dessa vez, n\u00e3o foi poss\u00edvel compartilhar da emo\u00e7\u00e3o de caminhar ao lado de adeptos do candombl\u00e9 e umbanda, devotos e turistas para entregar aos pescadores as oferendas com rosas brancas, pentes, espelhos, sabonetes, perfumes, bonecas, al\u00e9m de dinheiro, j\u00f3ias e at\u00e9 cartinhas com pedidos. Achei mais interessante seguir o exemplo de outras pessoas que decidiram deixar os presentes nas \u00e1guas no entorno da Col\u00f4nia. A chuva dificultava a caminhada sobre as pedras escorregadias. Mesmo assim, consegui submergir a cesta e v\u00ea-la descer, sendo levada para o fundo. As ondas chocavam-se de encontro \u00e0s pedras, molhando quem estivesse por perto. Eu fui um dos felizardos. Que sensa\u00e7\u00e3o maravilhosa! Por certo, Iemanj\u00e1 estava agradecendo os presentes. Silenciosamente saudei a M\u00e3e de todos os Orix\u00e1s: Omi \u00f4 odoy\u00e1!
\nNo retorno, encontrei Shirley orientando a nossa secretaria Isabel Cristina no preparo do caruru, a comida escolhida para o almo\u00e7o de confraterniza\u00e7\u00e3o com o casal de amigos Pietro Gallina e Marlene e Edvando \u201cTucunar\u00e9\u201d e D\u00ea, convidados tamb\u00e9m para prestigiarem a festa de Iemanj\u00e1. Pietro e Marlene chegaram primeiro. Em seguida, Tucunar\u00e9 e D\u00ea. A cerveja \u201cno ponto\u201d acompanhada do tira-gosto de castanha de caju animava a nossa conversa sobre pol\u00edtica, as novas diretrizes do Icbie para esse ano, Projeto Salvador Grafita e os planos para nossa viagem a Europa, prevista para a segunda quinzena de abril, al\u00e9m dos coment\u00e1rios a respeito da localiza\u00e7\u00e3o com vista para o mar.O almo\u00e7o foi servido \u00e0 moda self-service. O caruru feito como manda o figurino e a variedade dos pratos com os acompanhamentos feij\u00e3o fradinho, vatap\u00e1 de farinha e de p\u00e3o, salada e frigideira de bacalhau, farofa, banana da terra frita, frango, arroz branco e o feij\u00e3o de leite \u2013 meu prato predileto – foram degustados \u00e0 vontade e muito elogiados pelo bom gosto dos anfitri\u00f5es.
\nTucunar\u00e9 e D\u00ea, tiveram de sair mais cedo. Eu, Pietro e Marlene fomos at\u00e9 a Praia de Santana acompanhar a sa\u00edda do saveiro levando o presente principal dos pescadores (um enorme peixe), seguido de centenas de embarca\u00e7\u00f5es carregadas de presentes at\u00e9 o local onde os balaios foram \u201carriados\u201d. A emo\u00e7\u00e3o tomou conta de todos, tambores tocam em homenagem a deusa do mar, pais e m\u00e3es-de-santo dan\u00e7am e entram numa esp\u00e9cie de transe, recebendo suas entidades espirituais. Os grupos de afox\u00e9s e rodas-de-samba animam a galera, num clima de alegria e muita descontra\u00e7\u00e3o.
\nEm seguida, acompanhei Pietro e Marlene at\u00e9 a resid\u00eancia do professor e diretor de Letras Romanas da Ufba, seu amigo e conterr\u00e2neo Mauro Porru, a fim de conhecermos o badalado \u201cMaururu\u201d, o caruru do Mauro, que acontece a 18 anos todo dia 2 de fevereiro. O \u201cMaururu\u201d se transformou numa festa aberta e j\u00e1 faz parte da agenda dos amigos, intelectuais, pol\u00edticos, familiares e convidados, que comparecem todos os anos para degustar o caruru e as quituterias como acaraj\u00e9 e abar\u00e1 feitos na hora. Permaneci por pouco tempo no local. Quando retornava para a resid\u00eancia, atendi uma liga\u00e7\u00e3o pelo celular da grafiteira M\u00f4nica, avisando-me que ela, Pinel e os sergipanos Jeorg e N1K, estavam concluindo a pintura de um painel alusivo a Iemanj\u00e1. Fui l\u00e1 conferir!
\nH\u00e1 mais de seis anos que eu acompanho de camarote, ou melhor, da janela do ap\u00ea com o bin\u00f3culo \u00e0 tira-colo, o show de rock do irreverente cantor e compositor baiano M\u00e1rcio Melo, no palco armado em frente a Venture, ao lado do edifico onde moro. A rua fica completamente tomada pelos jovens e adultos que curtem o vigor das interpreta\u00e7\u00f5es e as performances do roqueiro. O seu estilo pr\u00f3prio e o visual punk levam a galera \u00e0 loucura embalada pelas letras debochadas, escrachadas e ir\u00f4nicas, principalmente \u201cCocoroc\u00f3\u201d, um dos hits. A agita\u00e7\u00e3o do dia 2 de fevereiro s\u00f3 terminou para mim depois das 8 da noite, quando ouvi o roqueiro dizer: rapaziada acabou!!…
\nJFParanagu\u00e1.<\/p>\n

\"Lemanj\u00e1<\/a>
\n\"Lemanj\u00e1 <\/a>\"Lemanj\u00e1<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Lemanj\u00e1<\/a> \"Lemanj\u00e1<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Lemanj\u00e1 <\/a>\"Music<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Food<\/a> \"Lemanj\u00e1<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Pietro<\/a> \"Lemanj\u00e1<\/a><\/p>\n

The refrain “Goddess of February\/Goddess of the festival in the sea\/I want to be the first\/To salute Iemanj\u00e1,\u201d a musical theme by the much-missed Bahian singer and composer Dorival Caymmi, is a homage to the Queen of the Waters.\u00a0 On that day, thousands of people, organized by the Z-1 fisherman’s colony of Rio Vermelho, go to cast off their presents in straw baskets.\u00a0 The festival is one of the biggest candombl\u00e9 celebrations, and music and merrymaking animate the district all day long.<\/p>\n

At dawn I awoke to a burst of firecrackers in homage of Iemanj\u00e1.\u00a0 As I do every year, I ran to the window of the apartment to admire the beautiful natural scenery that appears in front of me and I contemplated the sunrise, the sea and the swell of the waves sliding along the Paci\u00eancia beach, with a lovely breeze blowing in among the old palaces, the Enseada de Santana and the Mariquita. I also noticed the boats anchored out to sea and all the people dressed in white, who were setting off their offerings in the water on the Rio Vermelho beach.<\/p>\n

After having my coffee, I headed off to the Col\u00f4nia de Pescadores, carrying my basket, decorated by my wife Shirley, with the intention of donating it at the Casa do Peso.\u00a0 The long lines that I encountered on the way made me change my plans.\u00a0 It’s a shame to skip this ritual!\u00a0 But, this time, it wasn’t possible to participate, the sensation of walking to the Pescadores with candombl\u00e9 and umbanda worshipers and tourists, to deliver the offerings of white roses, combs, mirrors, little bars of soap, perfume, dolls, money, jewelry, or even requests written on paper. \u00a0 I thought it would be more interesting to follow the example of other people who decided to cast their presents off in the water near the Col\u00f4nia.\u00a0 The rain made the trek down the slippery paving stones difficult.\u00a0 All the same I managed to launch the basket, which soon headed down under the water.\u00a0 The waves crashed on the stones, showering everyone in its wake.\u00a0 I was one of the lucky devils.\u00a0 What a marvellous feeling!\u00a0 No doubt about it, Iemanj\u00e1 was blessing everyone present.\u00a0 Silently I saluted the Mother of all the Goddesses:\u00a0 Omi \u00f4 odoy\u00e1!
\nUpon my return, I found Shirley instructing our secretary Isabel Cristina in the preparation of the caruru, the dish chosen for the confraternal lunch with the circle of friends Pietro Gallina and Marlene and Edvando \u201cTucunar\u00e9\u201d and D\u00ea, to celebrate together the feast of Iemanj\u00e1.\u00a0 Pietro and Marlene arrived first, followed by Tucunar\u00e9 and D\u00ea.\u00a0 Beer and cashews accompanied our discussions about politics and the new directions for the ICBIE this year, the Salvador Grafita Project an the plans for our trip to Europe, set for the last half of April, along with the usual comments about the sights and the view of the sea.\u00a0 Lunch was self-service.\u00a0 The caruru was done to a tee, and the side dishes of feij\u00e3o fradinho, vatap\u00e1 de farinha and de p\u00e3o, salad, fried bacalhau, farofa, banana da terra frita, chicken, white rice and feij\u00e3o de leite \u2013 my favorite plate – were devoured and praised by the connoisseurs.<\/p>\n

Tucunar\u00e9 and D\u00ea had to leave early.\u00a0 Pietro, Marlene and I went to Praia de Santana to accompany the launching of the sailboat carrying the big present of the fishermen (an enormous fish), followed by hundreds of boats filled with presents, close to the point where my straw basket was “launched.”\u00a0 Excitement was in the air, drums were beating in homage to the goddess of the sea, while fathers and saintly mothers danced and entered into a state of trance, receiving the spirits.\u00a0 Groups playing afox\u00e9s and rodas-de-samba animated the scene in a burst of celebration and informality.<\/p>\n

Following that, I accompanied Pietro and Marlene to the residence of the professor and director of Romance Languages at the UFBA, their friend and countryman Mauro Porru, in order to experience the reknowned \u201cMaururu\u201d, Mauro’s caruru, an event that he has held for eighteen years, every February 2nd.\u00a0 The \u201cMaururu\u201d has evolved into an open party and it has become a fixed event on the agendas of friends, intellectuals, relatives and neighbors, who arrive every year to taste the caruru and the accompanying acaraj\u00e9 and freshly made abar\u00e1.\u00a0 I stayed there for only a short time.\u00a0 When I got home, I found a message from the grafiteira M\u00f4nica, telling me that she, Pinel and Jeorg and N1K from Sergipano were finishing the painting of a panel in honor of Iemanj\u00e1. I went out to see it!
\nIt’s more than six years that I have a box seat, the best, at the window with my binoculars hanging from my neck, to watch the rock show of the irreverent Bahian singer and composer M\u00e1rcio Melo, in the stands set up in front of the Venture, on the side of the building where I live.\u00a0 The street is entirely filled with people, young and old, who vigorously follow the performances of the rock star.\u00a0 His unique style and the punk outfits perfectly fit the shocking and ironic screams of obscenities, especially in \u201cCocoroc\u00f3\u201d, one of his hits.\u00a0 The excitement of the 2nd of February returned to normal after 8 PM, when the rocker said:\u00a0 rapaziada acabou!!… (“so much for the kidstuff!!”)
\nJFParanagu\u00e1.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Our friend Paranagu\u00e1 sends this report of the big condombl\u00e9 festival held on February 2.\u00a0 (English translation below) Sauda\u00e7\u00f5es a Iemanj\u00e1, rainha do mar! O refr\u00e3o \u201cDia dois de fevereiro\/Dia de festa no mar\/Eu quero ser o primeiro\/A saudar Iemanj\u00e1\u201d tema musical do saudoso cantor e compositor baiano Dorival Caymmi \u00e9 uma sauda\u00e7\u00e3o a Rainha das \u00c1guas. Nesse dia, milhares de pessoas v\u00e3o deixar seus presentes nos balaios organizados pela Col\u00f4nia de Pescadores Z-1 do Rio Vermelho. A festa \u00e9 uma das maiores celebra\u00e7\u00f5es do candombl\u00e9 e durante todo dia muita m\u00fasica e alegria agitam o bairro. A alvorada de fogos em homenagem a Iemanj\u00e1 me acordou mais cedo. Como fa\u00e7o habitualmente, fui at\u00e9 a janela do apartamento para apreciar a bela paisagem da natureza que surge diante de mim e fico contemplando o alvorecer, o mar, o vai-e-vem das ondas deslizando sobre a areia da praia da Paci\u00eancia, a brisa gostosa que penetra no ambiente, al\u00e9m da arquitetura dos casar\u00f5es antigos, a Enseada de Santana e a Mariquita. Notei tamb\u00e9m a presen\u00e7a de embarca\u00e7\u00f5es ancoradas ao largo e muitas pessoas vestidas de branco, aproveitando os primeiros raios do Sol para colocar suas oferendas nas \u00e1guas das Praias do Rio…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6509,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[96],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1131","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-icbie-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/icbie.net.br\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1131","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/icbie.net.br\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/icbie.net.br\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/icbie.net.br\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/icbie.net.br\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1131"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/icbie.net.br\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1131\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/icbie.net.br\/it\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/icbie.net.br\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1131"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/icbie.net.br\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1131"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/icbie.net.br\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1131"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}