living cultural traditions
“My Gentleman, my Lady, let me pass, my drum comes from the fields so that we can rejoice. Folia, Jongo, Calango, Maculelê, Rezadeira, Caninha Verde, Capoeira, we are going to present. Ôooo (Jongo by Ricardo Medeiros and Cristina Braga sung at the Cortejo de Tradições) ouça os Jongos de Pinheiral e Arrozal
Dance, singing and drumming are manifestations of life since immemorial times. Find living Brazilian culture in Vale do Café, with its indigenous, European and African legacies.
Folia de Reis: itinerant groups that sing and dance verses about the visit of the three kings to the boy God. They visit house by house, recognizing the Divine in each place. The Folia is received with coffee, cachaça, sweets and snacks. They are accompanied by accordions, percussion, guitar and sometimes ukulele. You will find them, across the region between Christmas 25th December and Kings Day 6th January.
Jongo: circle dance from Africa accompanied by singing and drumming. Two people dance in the center alternating with each other until the whole circle has danced. In Vale the themes speak of the daily life and nature around. The songs always end with the word Machado!
Calango: Challenge that usually happens in pairs or in groups, one of the participants proposes the beginning of a singing in verse, which a chosen challenger must answer with rhymes.
Maculelê: martial art and dance in circle, with two players in the center, striking sticks or machetes. Of indigenous and African syncretic matrix.
Rezadeira: ladies, (or gentlemen more rarely), who know the art of prayer. They pray to heal, usually with branches of plants. Catholic, indigenous, African syncretism.
Caninha Verde: Dance of pairs of Portuguese origin with Brazilian adaptation. In a circle, accordion players and guitarists accompany the song that strikes sticks between the pairs, and on the floor.
Capoeira: martial art and Afro Brazilian dance, intangible cultural heritage by Unesco. Participants are in a circle, accompanied by singing, berimbau and clapping. In some cases, drums.
Festa Juninas (June feasts): festivity of Portuguese roots, with multiple influences in Brazil. In Vale do Café it is connected to the end of the natural year, winter, and to the end of the harvest. It also celebrates the the light that is in the hearts of men, when the natural light darkens, with the beginning of the cold and dark season. Dances of gangs, typical foods, and games for children make this the most popular party in the Brazilian countryside.
Comitivas (Entourages): groups of horsemen who gather for great journeys, in order to receive the blessing somewhere, or to celebrate some saint.
To contract:
Folias de Reis
Jornada a Guia dos Santos Reis – Vassouras
Contact: (24) 99221-6157 Puppy
Bandeira dos Santos Reis F. Teixeira – Vassouras
Contact: (24) 99863-2618 Natinho
Jardim do Edem – Vassouras
Contact: (24) 99291-5010 Dona Rita
Descendente de Davi – Vassouras
Contact: (24) 99221-8043 Lele
Estrela de Jacó – Vassouras
Contact: (24) 99264-4201 Cabecinha
Boas Novas de Belém – Vassouras
Contact: (24) 99209-9025 Mailin
Glória de Jerusalém – Vassouras
Contact: (24) 99270-5379 Wagner
Família do Oriente – Vassouras
Contact: (24) 99263-4960 Claudio
Jornada Divina Luz de Jerusalém – Vassouras
Contact: 24 – 99283-6929 Léo Gasolina
Bandeira Estrela da Guia – Vassouras
Contact: (24) 99281-5403 Antônio Venâncio
Divino Espírito Santo – Vassouras
Contact: (24) 99241-8848 Marcão
Bandeira Estrela do Oriente – Vassouras
Contact: (24) 99237-9891 João Sardinha
Jornada Lua Nova – Valença
Contact: (24) 99318-9372 Marquinho
Estrela Luminosa – Barra do Piraí
Contact: Juca
Jornada Sagrada Irmandade de Reis – Barra do Piraí
Contact: (24) 99860-0912 Pedro
Guaribu – Paty do Alferes
Contact: (24) 99395-6194 Everaldo
Jornada Estrela Guia – Paty do Alferes
Contact: (24) 98146-1169 Claudinei
Folia de Reis – Paty do Alferes
Contact: (24) 98117-0930 Luciano
Jongo:
Jongo de Pinheiral – Pinheiral
Contact: (24) 99221-7212 Fatinha
Jongo de Arrozal – Arrozal
Contact: (24) 98118-2822
Sr Edgar
Maculelê e Capoeira:
Maculelê de Vassouras
Contact: (24) 99259-9958 Mestre Sombrão