Carnival: Governor in trouble held a precursor party – 02/10/2024 – Power

It was March 10, 1641. The governor of the captaincy of Rio de Janeiro, Salvador Correia de Sá e Benevides, was at mass, in the convent of São Bento. That was when he received an important message from the viceroy of Brazil, who said that Portugal had declared itself independent from Spain.

The War of Restoration began, which would last for 28 years and put an end to the Philippine Dynasty (1580-1640), a period in which Portugal was governed by the Spanish crown.

A descendant of Spaniards and with many businesses and properties linked to Spain, Benevides had his loyalty to Portugal called into question.

Unsure whether he should support Independence, he met behind closed doors with the Jesuits, representatives of the Chamber and the commanders of the garrison forces. He said it would be better to be wrong with everyone’s vote than to be right with just his. This is what journalist Thales Guaracy narrates in the book “The Creation of Brazil”, released in 2018.

The Jesuits sided with Portugal, and the others agreed. Benevides then decided to follow the decision of his peers and recognize Dom João 4º as the new Portuguese king.

A procession was made to the main church, and the governor took an oath to the Portuguese crown. Father Manuel Fernandes took the news to the viceroy that the captaincy of Rio de Janeiro was on Portugal’s side.

Benevides decided to prepare a great party, which became known as the acclamation of Dom João 4º. The objective was to make a magnificent display to prove that he and the population of the colony were loyal to Portugal.

The celebration was scheduled for March 31, after Easter that year. There were eight days of celebration. “The party was mandatory. Anyone who didn’t go would pass as someone who was on the side of Spain”, says Guaracy.

The financing was also compulsory, according to José Mauricio Saldanha Álvarez, professor at UFF (Universidade Federal Fluminense), in an article published in the academic journal Portuguese Studies Review.

Streets and squares were decorated and a night parade was held, called “encamisada”, with 116 horsemen. High authorities from the captaincy participated, including the governor himself, who cheered Dom João 4º. Two cars decorated with silk and bouquets and flowers accompanied the parade.

The next day, writes Álvarez, there was a military celebration and at the end those present waved flags and saluted the new king. In the next few days there was also a bull festival, traditional games and a theater play.

The acclamation is considered one of the precursor festivities of what is now understood as Carnival. There are others, such as Shrovetide — a type of traditional Portuguese game or festival, in which people took to the streets and threw flour, eggs and buckets of water at each other.

“It wasn’t just this celebration of acclamation. [A origem do Carnaval] It has to do with the traditions that came from Portugal, mainly religious”, says Helenise Guimarães, professor at UFRJ (Federal University of Rio de Janeiro) and researcher of popular culture. “This tradition of festivals is established in the colony even as a form of pacification. -there.”

Guaracy argues that Dom João 4º’s acclamation resulted in the institutionalization of the party, which began to be repeated every year in the same period.

“That’s why the importance of Carnival in Rio de Janeiro is very great, in fact it started there. The objective was to prove that it was on Portugal’s side”, he says. “I am convinced that our Carnival came from this political cleverness of the governor of the captaincy of Rio.”