THE
'REISADO' - TWELFTH NIGHT
Luís da Câmara Cascudo
THE POPULAR BALLET OF
RECIFE. Photo:
LOCAL NEWSPAPER ARCHIVES |
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For those who celebrate Twelfth Night on
the 6th January, with songs and dance, it is considered to be an
erudite tradition.
The Portuguese words for
this commemoration are reisada or reseiros, which can
either mean a procession for religious favors or requests, singing religious or
humorous verses, or the presentation of religious 'autos', related
to to the sacred history of Christ. In Brazil, this tradition always
refers to the ranchos, ternos - the groups that
celebrate Christmas and Twelfth Night. This celebration can be
merely the singing of religious songs, or it can also include a
storyline, or a series of linked dramatic acts.
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One
of these Twelfth Night presentations that I watched in the city of Maceió,
in the state of Alagoas, in January of 1952, contained various
elements - there was a prolonged duel between the king and the noblemen,
resulting in the king being wounded. There was a type of 'sword
solo' that was 'replied to', in repetition and in
unison by the rest of the group. The participants were spectacularly
dressed with crowns and the most fantastic hats, with sequins,
strings of beads and pearls,
ribbons, beautiful glittery material, etc. |
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THE EXU GROUP.
Photo: Local newspaper archives |
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