Carnival and Brazilian Cultural Traditions Clash with Evangelicals

Churches withdraw members from samba schools and maracatu groups and clash with acarajé vendors


Feb.9.2024 11:33AM

The evangelical phenomenon is expanding in Brazil, and reports of a conflictive coexistence with popular culture festivals are becoming more and more common, especially in manifestations linked to African heritage.

For example, the writer and researcher Luiz Antonio Simas attributes to evangelical expansion a change in the profile of the "baianas" section of various samba schools, which have begun to lose members to Pentecostal and neo-Pentecostal denominations.



Rio de Janeiro, 11-02-2018 - Carnaval 2018: The 'baianas' section of São Clemente. Foto Kelly Lima/Folhapress DIREITOS - Foto Kelly Lima/Folhapress

In Pernambuco's Carnival, the issue is maracatu, which is not just a musical genre or a mere procession. The tradition has religious foundations, with connections to either the worship of the orixás or the caboclos of jurema. It is common for the most traditional groups to be linked to a "casa de santo" (house of worship).

"We end up losing members," says Master Chacon, from the Porto Rico maracatu, about the emergence of evangelical groups performing in Recife.

More:
https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/internacional/en/culture/2024/02/carnival-and-brazilian-cultural-traditions-clash-with-evangelicals.shtml