Faithful take to the streets before Easter in the northeastern hinterland – 04/04/2023 – Brazil

On the nights of Lent, a period for Catholics of reflection until Easter, it is possible to notice a procession of people dressed in white mantles that cross the city of Juazeiro, in the interior of Bahia. They are the “feeders of souls”, a group of penitents, mostly women, who follow the tradition of praying for souls in the streets of the riverside city, 507 km from Salvador.

The group focuses on the house of Josulene Rodrigues Ribeiro, Dona Nenenzinha. The tradition extends since 1901, always in the weeks leading up to Christian Easter. “It started with the friars. Then it moved on to a lady, until it reached my mother”, she says.

At the age of 83, the pensioner inherited the mission of organizing the procession from her family. She starts preparing food in the afternoon and then accompanies the group on the long journey, which takes place on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, until Good Friday, when the tradition ends with a supper.

“My mother asked me, before she died, not to let the tradition end and that’s how I did it”, she says proudly.

In front of the cordon, as the groups call it, one of the members carries a wooden cross. In line, the others follow him chanting religious blessings and litanies to ask for peace for the souls in purgatory. The route goes through seven cruises spread across the city’s neighborhoods, called stations.

The walk along the asphalt shares space with cars and motorcycles. The noise of the engines is interrupted by the beats of the rattle, a wooden instrument with pieces of iron that produces a strong sound when hitting, carried by the second penitent in the row.

Every route is followed by the curious eyes of the population. “Beautiful, isn’t it”, comments salesman Paulo Silveira, 43, who watches the group pass in front of his point of sale. “They are praying for the dead.”

The religious go to the crossing of the municipal cemetery, where they gather, on their knees or leaning against the wall. They light candles and say prayers that echo throughout the neighborhood.

Among the devotees, there is a participant who has been doing penance for over 35 years and some young people who follow the family tradition, by promise or out of admiration.

The first records of penances in the hinterland date back to the beginning of the 18th century, with the Capuchin and Franciscan religious. The most traditional, who still resist in the region, are the disciplinarians, those known for the act of self-flagellation, one of the most secret manifestations.

Among soul feeders, there are some rules such as secrecy of members. Each penance cycle lasts seven years, which must be fulfilled uninterruptedly or replaced by a relative.

Seven is also the number of knots in the cords that tie the waist of the participants, in reference to the seven pains of Mary, expressed in popular tradition.

With each passing year, lament the participants, the number of cords decreases. This year, only the one organized by Dona Nenenzinha made the trip to Juazeiro, where previously five traveled. “The coordinators were dying and there was no one to take care of them, so it ended”, she says.

The devotee says that as long as she lives, she will keep the custom and hopes that it will continue after her departure. “I know I’m going to die one day. I’m preparing about three and I hope it works out. If there’s no one to take care of it, it’s over”.

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