Independence: Cortejo exalts caboclo and cabocla in Bahia – 06/30/2023 – Power

The caboclo and cabocla are the masters of the festivities in Bahia and remain at a safe distance from the rapapés and salaamaleques that mark Brazilian civic festivities. Headdress adorned on the head, sharp spear in the hands, deliver the mortal blow on the figure of a dragon that represents Portugal.

The 2nd of July procession, which this Sunday (2nd) celebrates the 200th anniversary of the expulsion of the Portuguese and consolidation of Independence, returns to the streets of Salvador as the ultimate expression of popular participation in the conflicts that took over Bahia between February 1822 and July 1823.

The party is the culmination of a civic calendar that begins on the 25th of June, in Cachoeira, a municipality in the Recôncavo region of Bahia that resisted attacks by a gunboat led by Portuguese troops. Known as the “heroic city”, since 2007 it has become the capital of Bahia for one day a year.

On June 30, the Symbolic Fire of Independence leaves Cachoeira and travels through towns in the Reconcavo until it arrives on July 1 in the neighborhood of Pirajá, in Salvador. This year, a second symbolic fire ran through towns north of the Bahian capital that had their participation in the war recognized.

But the popular festival takes shape in the early hours of July 2, when a crowd gathers around Largo da Lapinha, the place in the old center of Salvador through which the Pacifying Army entered the city after the Portuguese fled in 1823.

After the dawn with fireworks and the raising of flags, the procession with tens of thousands of people leaves through the streets of the old center of Salvador to Praça do Sé, accompanied by fanfares, civil entities and cultural groups such as Caboclos de Itaparica.

“It is precisely this massive popular participation that ensured the success of the festivities. Sete de Setembro does not have this same involvement because it was a movement of the elites for the elites”, explains historian Rafael Dantas, associated with the Geographical and Historical Institute of Bahia.

The date of July 2nd is a state holiday, a national event and became the state’s Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2006. Over the last two centuries, it has become a kind of myth of origin for Brazilian Bahia, in which the caboclos represent the fighters. anonymous who fought in the war.

The figure that refers to indigenous peoples gained strength amid the creation of an ideal of heroism that avoided contemplating blacks, since slavery still remained a scourge in Brazilian society, not even with whites, who could be confused with the figure of the colonizer.

The option for the representation of native peoples anticipates a romantic Indianism and legitimizes the discourse of the time that sought to alleviate possible social and racial conflicts.

“The caboclos come from the tradition of Afro-Amerindian cults and were already venerated entities in popular circles. Only later did they officially become icons of the victory of the Bahian people in the War of Independence”, explains historian Milton Moura, retired professor at the Federal University from Bahia.

The celebration of Independence began in 1824, when the 2nd of July was celebrated with the participation of ex-combatants. At the first party, according to the writings of the journalist and black abolitionist Manoel Querino, he paraded in the wagon procession that had been taken from the Portuguese troops, bringing on top a man like the representation of a caboclo.

In the following years, the sculpture of the caboclo in the form of an Indian took its place on the wagon. The party was embraced by Salvador’s popular strata, not only as a civic celebration, but as a matter of belonging.

Over the years, the party changes according to the historical context. In the first half of the 19th century, part of the local elite criticized the figure of the caboclo as a representation of fury against the Portuguese and unsuccessfully tried to bar them from the parade.

They succeeded in the 20th century, a time when the debate on the construction of Brazil as a nation gained prominence, a speech that was accompanied by a civilizing idea of ​​the country. Conservative elites put pressure on, and the caboclos were left out of the procession between 1919 and 1943, replaced by the image of Senhor do Bonfim.

The caboclo and cabocla returned after popular pressure. Over time, its religious dimension gained even more strength, including the delivery of offerings and tickets by devotees in the cars that carry the images during the procession. Candomblé terreiros hold festivities to celebrate the caboclos on Independence Day.

The celebrations in Bahia are not limited to Salvador and spread to cities in the Recôncavo, Baixo-sul, Sudoeste and Sertão, reinforcing the idea of ​​unity of the province’s villages against the Portuguese yoke.

One of the main parties takes place in Cachoeira and São Félix, neighboring towns separated by the Paraguaçu River that suspend their local rivalries to celebrate Independence.

It is the moment when the image of the caboclo, which is kept in Cachoeira, receives the cabocla who is in São Félix. The warrior couple meet on June 24th and participate until July 2nd in the festivities in both cities, united by a historic bridge built by Dom Pedro 2º.

Another important festivity takes place in Itaparica, where the main celebration takes place on January 7, the day of the battle on the island, which was marked by strong popular participation and the protagonism of women like Maria Felipa.

Cities like Santo Amaro, Maragogipe, Salinas das Margaridas, Jaguaripe, and Saubara also celebrate the 2nd of July. In the latter, the highlight is the Caretas do Mingau, women who gain a ghostly appearance after dressing in white, covering their faces with veils and carrying candles in their hands.

They represent the women who disguised themselves to take food to the soldiers who were on guard duty along the coast and on the Paraguaçu River. At dawn between the 1st and 2nd of July, they tour the city with songs and samba de roda and distribute portions of porridge.

This year, when the Independence of Brazil in Bahia completes 200 years, the celebrations in Salvador begin at 6 am with a dawn of fireworks, followed by the hoisting of flags in Largo da Lapinha. From there, a crowd will leave in procession to Praça da Sé.

In the afternoon, the caboclos go to Largo do Campo Grande, where the Monument to the 2nd of July is located, and will be greeted in a ceremony that will be attended by President Lula (PT). The festivities only end three days later, when the images are taken back to the Pavilhão da Independência, in Lapinha, where they will only leave on the 2nd of July.