Missa do Vaqueiro - Serrita- PE
In this program we go to the hinterland of Pernambuco, to the city of Serrita, where the Mass of the Vaqueiro takes place, one of the religious and cultural festivities that most identifies the people of the Brazilian semiarid region. The ceremony that began in 1971 to honor the cowboy Raimundo Jacó, cousin of the singer Luiz Gonzaga, who was murdered in 1954. Today it has become a major event, which brings about 50,000 people to the small country town, always on the fourth Sunday of July, which it involves, in addition to the mass, cultural presentations, vaquejada, ox-peer and shows.
The program also delves into the life of the cowboy, one of the most popular professions in Brazil. and one of the last to be recognized, in order to guarantee labor rights to these country people who for so many years, and with great joy and devotion, hold the Missa do Vaqueiro in Serrita.
Directed by Alice Gouveia.
Music is a strong component of the Missa do Vaqueiro, the Rezas do Sol, composed by the doctor Janduhy Finizola (who kindly licensed the entire work to our program) is a complete mass, recorded on LP in 1976 by Quinteto Violado, from Recife (which supported our program), and re-recorded by them on CD in 1991, with the inclusion of the poem "Vaqueiro, Meu Irmão Vaqueiro", by Bishop Dom Hélder Câmara, one of the creators of Liberation Theology, and defender of the poor and oppressed until his death.
SERRITA - PERNAMBUCO
Located in the hinterland of Pernambuco, Serrita's most outstanding event is the Missa do Vaqueiro, which is celebrated annually in the Vaqueiro National Park, in the town of Sítio das Lajes, 32 kilometers from the city center.
In the week before the mass, the fair and the cowboy party take place, with various manifestations such as the vaquejada , band of fifes , zabumbeiros , accordionists playing forró pé de serra , baião , xote , xaxado , ciranda , coconut , chants, sudden , aboiadores . At the fair, artisanal and decorative objects, traditional foods made from corn and manioc, rapadura , sugarcane juice, kisses , among others.
For the mass, a altar stone in the shape of a horseshoe. During the offertory, the offerings are objects of the cowboy's daily life: pieces of his leather clothing, harness, and instruments used in herding cattle. During the offertory they improvise verses from aboio on each piece offered. The mass is a tribute to the cowboys and their bravery in the face of the vicissitudes of the sertão.
Throughout the year, on weekends, Pegas de Boi no Mato takes place in the rural area of the municipality, another manifestation of Serrita's popular culture.
In December, the day of Nossa Senhora da Conceição, patron saint of the municipality is celebrated. Occurs between days November 29 up until December 8th .
HOW TO GET:
Distnate 540 km from Recife, capital of Pernambuco. From there you can get there via BR 232 + PE 507.
The nearest airport is Juazeiro do Norte, in Ceará, 155 km away, via BR 116.