THE PASTORAL - BETWEEN THE SACRED AND THE PROFANE THE VICTORIA REGIS PASTORAL . Newspaper photo archives

Throughout the research dedicated to the dramatic manifestations that in some way express the Brazilian people, principally the dramatic dances, it is a proven fact that all the origins are of a religious nature, and not profane. Gilberto Freyre and Mario de Andrade, for example, are unanimous in affirming that, even when their basis or links are attributed to economic factors, these popular artistic manifestations, together with any of their variants, originate from religious mysticism.

It is also important to point out that the religious character of these manifestations is also full of theatricality. A theatricality that is born out of the celebration rites to the Greek god Dionysus. However, to quote Mario de Andrade once more - " it is these profane, social elements that little by little, have become more important, and have gradually destroyed the primitive religious objectives of theatre. And, indeed, it is these profane elements that have gradually come to dominate". This phenomenon took place in Greek drama, the Japanese Noh theatre, and the Medieval Mystery plays, as well as in our own Brazilian dramatic dances.
It is also worth noting that all our popular dances contain a dramatic section (even if it is an improvised text), music and their own particular manner of dance. All these elements reveal the three basic ethnic origins of the Brazilian people - Native, Portuguese and African.

THE ORIGIN

The origin of the Pastoral also has connections with Iberian popular religious drama. In fact, in Spain as well as in Portugal, important Catholic dates were not only transformed into ecclesiastic festivals but also popular festivities.                                                                                                    From as far back as the end of the 16th. century, several authors have recorded presentations of plays connected to Christmas, the Three Kings, Easter etc., with a mixture of pastoral and allegoric elements, dances, texts and songs. This type of theatre established itself in Portugal with the Galician-Portuguese ballads, which were the original source of our pastorals. These ballads were sung by a soloist, with a chorus sung by a choir dressed as shepherds who represented the Nativity.

Even at the very beginning, the Pastoral, was never really popular with the bourgeoisie, but it gained ground because of the enacted Nativity scenes. Systematically, the Pastorals were danced in front of the 'lapinha' - the word given to special grottos where the Nativity scene was reenacted in a totally static form.                                                                                                                              The researchers seem to agree that Christmas and Nativity festivities began to appear at the beginning of the 10th. century. According to the research of Mario de Andrade, " the idea of commemorating the birth of Christ through dramatic representations first began thanks to a certain monk called Tuotilo, who died in April of 915 at Saint Galo's Abbey, in the central region of Germany. It was here that the so-called Sequences and 'Tropas' first appeared. The 'Tropas' - a kind of Nativity musical play - consisted of new texts and melodic phrases, interlinked with official religious texts of the church and sung in Gregorian chant. 

THE SHINING STAR PASTORAL. Newspaper photo archives

Very soon after, they began to be presented in France and England, where they gradually transformed into medieval liturgical dramas. They were divided into three main sections : The heralding of Christ's arrival, the adoration of the Kings and the slaughtering of the innocent. The first two themes remained intact and quickly spread throughout western Europe and Portugal, thanks to the Jesuits, who finally brought them to the Brazilian colony.

Nativity scenes only appeared in the 18th. century with the Umbrian religious movement, and traditionally, pastorals were danced in the immediate foreground of these scenes. The invention of the Nativity scene is attributed to Saint Francis of Assis. Around 1510, the theme was taken up and appeared in small dramatic plays such as those by Sybilla Cassandra and Gil Vicente, as cited by Pereira da Costa. In Portugal, presentations of the nativity plays were not recorded until the end of the 18th. century. Citing Pedro Fernandes Tomás, Mario de Andrade observes that, " the 'Pastoral Autos' (see explanation of 'Auto' below) or The Pastoral Nativity plays, as they were commonly known, were theatrical compositions that were performed in numerous localities around the country during the Christmas festivities, New Year and Twelfth Night. They comprised a series of small 'autos'  (dramatic pieces) and were presented in private houses on improvised stages with very simple scenery. Very often, the scenery was made of pine or bay tree branches spread over the walls of the stage. At the back of the stage, the traditional grotto could be seen with the Virgin Mary attending to the baby Jesus, with Joseph by their side. The manger could also be seen together with the symbolic animals - the cow, the mule, and the ass on which Mary had made her journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem. A curtain covered the grotto, and as the ingenuous scenes of the 'autos' would finish, so the curtain opened and the cast would fall to their knees in reverence to the baby Jesus. The most popular farces performed between the  'autos' were - The Blind Man, the Young Maiden, The Friar and The Pious Woman, The Sweet-Toothed Woman etc. There was also a type of prologue in which would appear Night, the Moon, the Sun and Attention and other symbolic entities. In ' The Three Kings Auto', Herod, the King of Judea, would also appear ordering the slaughter of the innocent, while remaining indifferent to the pleas of Raquel. It is thought that these presentations date from the 18th.century and have survived in manuscript form"   

In Brazil, and more specifically in Pernambuco, according to Pereira da Costa, the first appearance of the Nativity scene probably took place at the end of the 16th. century, in the Franciscan Convent of Olinda. The person responsible for this was friar Gaspar de Santo Antônio - the first man to receive religious orders in the new colony. Thanks to documented evidence by the Jesuit priest, Fernão Cardim, it is possible to detect the first ever performance of the Brazilian Pastoral on January 5th 1584 - Twelfth Night. This fact is also referred to by Mario de Andrade in his publication Brazilian Dramatic Dances -" Beneath an arbor, native Brazilians presented a pastoral dialogue in the Brazilian language, Portuguese and Castilian [Spanish dialect]. They seem to take great delight in speaking the pilgrim language, principally the Castilian. There was excellent singing, flute music and dance, after which we all proceeded, in an inventive procession, to the church".     

THE PASTORAL IN PERNAMBUCO
It is curious to observe that during the 17th and 18th centuries, there is no relevant documented evidence concerning the pastoral . However, once the 19th century begins, there is an abundance of pastoral presentations, especially in the Northeast of Brazil, and more specifically in the states of Pernambuco and Bahia. These texts were actually published, as in the case of those by Sylvio Romero and Pereira da Costa.                                                                                               Mário de Andrade observes the strange fact that there were repercussions of this dramatic dance on a national level - but only during the eighteen hundreds when the pastoral was at its height - and then it just seems to have disappeared. The Nativity scenes, however, remained popular and became traditional throughout the entire country. Possibly, as Mário de Andrade points out, this was due to the strong influence and imposition of the elite - the bourgeoisie.                                                     In Recife, as well as other Northeastern cities, the Pastoral shepherdesses sang religious songs before the Nativity scene, not only enlivening an otherwise static scene, but also adding a sense of drama to the scene. It is clear that such presentations permitted a greater understanding of the birth of Christ. And so, in this manner, with the introduction of visual effects and sound, the scene began to take on life. Hermano Borba Filho notes that this dramatization brought with it certain literary influences from the Spanish sacramental 'autos'.       

PROFANE- RELIGIOUS
By setting off in new directions, the Pastoral Plays (Autos) become transformed into a profane-religious syncretism, and as in most cases, with an even stronger emphasis on the profane. This was responsible for the introduction of new elements, especially the licentiousness of the Old Shepherd and the sensuality of the Shepherdesses.                                                                      In Recife, circa 1840, societies began appearing with the aim of producing Nativity plays of the Messiah with solemnity, brilliance and decency. Such theatrical presentations, by groups such as The Christmas Society and The New Pastoral Society were recorded by Perreira da Costa. With the formation of these new societies, the pastorals began to take on a literary form. Poetry would be recited, and authors and song writers created lyrics and music. Out of many who contributed, the two brothers João and Raul Valença deserve special mention. Every year they were responsible for a Nativity play very similar to those of the eighteen hundreds. Ascenso Ferreira reveals that in Recife, the grandfather of the Valença brothers played  in a Nativity play for the first time at the height of the Paraguayan war in 1865. The tradition was maintained until 1900 by the brothers' father, who after a short interrupted period, brought back the nativity plays in the grounds of their small estate with the same characteristics as the sacramental 'autos' . The characters that the brothers used in their plays were : Guilt, Liberty, Religion, Grace, Gabriel, Shepherdesses, Lusbel -the force of evil, The Mistress, Diana, The Assistant Mistress, Eve, Argemiro, The Monk, Flora, Herod, A Centurion, and Cingo.

SHEPHERDESSES FROM THE PLAY "MANGABA COM CATUABA". Newspaper archives

It is clear that, although these societies did all in their power to maintain moral dignity and religiousness, and avoid burlesque or lurid scenes, the so-called profane pastorals were to be found on almost every street corner. They were considerably altered from their original form, and they counted on audience participation to enliven the scenes. They escaped from the storyline and theme, and according to many 'separatists', were irreverent, licentious and immoral.

It is for sure that the Pastoral had its greatest moments during the first twenty five years of the 20th century. There were numerous lay presentations that did not lose any of their religious connotations, principally those of the Christmas Cycle. The Nativity Plays were always performed by 'young girls of good families', who, dressed as shepherdesses, would collect offerings such as flowers, cakes, perfume and fruit, which would become the prizes at auctions to raise funds for religious institutions or charities.

From this moment, the pastorals began to spread throughout all the districts of the city, always certain of attracting a participative public. Of course, the more licentious the pastoral became, then the more it would attract the men. Within the structure of the 'auto', the shepherdesses with their tambourines or maracas, sang and danced to the sound of a string and wind orchestra, although the structure of the group very much depended on the financial position of the group. Some of the groups were able to afford cornets, trombones, clarinets and drums. Others were accompanied by violins and ukuleles, with a soloist wind instrument. 

THE OLD MAN - XAVECO. Jaime Photographs

In between the two lines, each commanded by their Mistress (in the blue line) and the Forewoman (the incarnate/red line), we find Diana, who is dressed half red, half blue. The Old Man, known by the name Bedegueba, but also by numerous other nicknames, is a kind of buffoon, a circus clown. He commands the 'jornadas' (the shepherdess' songs) and tells many jokes and runs the proceedings with much improvisation. His dialogues with the shepherdesses are riddled with double meanings, and he engages in discussions and games with the audience. He gets up to many capers and also sings songs, which have been adapted for his own particular needs. Amongst the other characters of the Profane Pastoral, there is to be found the Angel and the Star of the North, the Gypsy and other characters that can be added depending on the particular region. Today the pastoral has lost its hieratic and lyrical sense, but has been transformed into a popular presentational genre. It has taken on an entirely differentiated form, which it has made entirely its own. It is not a question of involution, but rather, an interference of the popular performers, who with their playful and unquiet spirits have conduced this manifestation.

THE 'AUTO' The 'auto' tells the story of the shepherds on their way to Bethlehem, where Jesus was born. The character, Lusbel - representing the forces of evil, tries every within his power to deviate the shepherds from their path. He is unsuccessful, thanks to the interference of Saint Gabriel. Frustrated, Satan convinces Herod to introduce the slaughter of the baby boys, but this also fails because the soldiers actually kill his own son. Herod repents and is saved, while the Devil, once more, is defeated. The 'auto' is written in verse and is performed to music. It begins with a prologue, contains two acts and finishes with an epilogue. The characteristics are similar to those of a sacramental 'auto', as mentioned above. The aspect of gathering people together, one of the strong characteristics of  Northeastern popular presentations, little by little, also began to appear. Perhaps, as Hermilo Borba Filho points out, as well as attracting a larger public, it was also to give the authors a greater liberty in creating their works. With the shepherdesses divided into two groups, blue and red, there was a possibility of forming 'supporter' groups - who would root for their favorite color and very often end up brawling. The auction also caused much excitement, and when the pastoral stopped being less amateur and took on an air of professionalism, the sensuality and sexuality were accentuated. Very often the presentation finished with either the Mistress or the Forewoman or Diana being kidnapped.

In the Nativity scenes that maintain the traditions of Christmas, we find in the 'jornadas' - the songs - strong allusions to the birth of Christ :

Da cepa nasceu a rama                 From the vine grew the branch
Da rama nasceu a flor,                  From the branch grew the flower
E da flor nasceu Maria                From the flower was born Mary
Mãe de Nosso Senhor.                  Mother of our Lord.

or even in the final songs of the presentation, which make part of the commonly referred to section - 'the burning of the grotto' - we come across songs with a hieratic aspect, when the shepherdesses sing :

Vamos companheiras, vamos,              Let's go, companions, let's go, 
Vamos a Belém,                                      Let's go to Bethlehem,
Para queimar as palhinhas                  Let's go to burn the straw   
Onde nasceu nosso bem.                       Where our Lord Jesus was lain.

The burning of the Nativity grotto took place almost always on Twelfth Night, when the families received guests for the traditional midnight celebrations. They would carry all the dry leaves, which had decorated the Nativity scene, to be burnt on a bon-fire at the door of the church. The participants would form a circle around the fire and they would sing the appropriate song :

A nossa lapinha         Our little grotto Já vai se queimar       Is going to burn E nós, pastorinhas,    And we, the shepherdesses Devemos chorar.        Will surely shed a tear. Queimemos, queimemos, We Burn, We Burn, A nossa lapinha,              Our little grotto scene De cravos, de rosas,      Of cinnamon, and roses De belas florinhas         Of such pretty posies. Queimemos, queimemos,  We Burn, We Burn, Gentis pastorinhas,            Sweet shepherdesses, As secas palhinhas,           The dry straw Da nossa lapinha...       Of our little grotto scene.