Brazil Beyond Rio
Story and Photos by Susan Sterner and Tyrone Turner
Special to Inland Boater
In recent years many things Brazilian have gained fame in the United States — from the refreshing caipirinha, the liquor and lime infused national drink of Brazil, to the Havaiana flip flop, Brazilian style bikini waxings, açai berry, and Brazilian churrasco (barbeque). Visitors to Brazil often come for Carnival and choose to stay in Rio de Janeiro to soak in the richness of Brazil. But new adventures await in Brazil’s Northeast, with cultural treasures little known to foreigners and hugely enjoyable.
Stretch beyond the chic neighborhoods of Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana and Ipanema. Leave behind the open arms of the towering Cristo Redentor (Christ Redeemer) and head north to a Brazil that travelers are just beginning to discover.
The Brazilian Northeast enchants visitors with a unique regional culture. Recife, the capital of the state of Pernambuco, and its sister city, Olinda, are bounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and Sertão, or dry lands, to the west. The area is run through with rivers and mangroves. The cities’ residents live off the sea and growing tourism industry, but ground their identities in the hard scrapple rebellious personality of the Sertão, its tough farmers, indigenous heritage, and the legacy of the escaped slaves that settled its interior.
During the pre-Lenten season, the streets of Recife and Olinda overflow with Carnival revelers in elaborate costumes made by hand and from found materials. The smells of grilled food fill the air and music flows through the streets.
By June the arid region heats up for the “Festas Juninas” or June Festivals, honoring the Catholic feast days of Saint John, Saint Anthony and Saint Peter. Corn and shredded coconut are key ingredients in courses of couscous, pudding, soup, special cakes, sweets and breads. It’s a time to celebrate the sources of life: land and water. Schools are closed for the month-long celebration as anticipation builds for the day of St John on June 24th. On this day women dress as men and men dress as women. As evening falls families take to the streets for all night celebrations of the corn harvest. The zabumba drum bangs out a “forró” beat, a two-step rhythm that keep couples swaying and spinning as lyrics recount the tales of the region.
Fall in the Northeast is an ideal time for travel to the interior of Pernambuco. Around Halloween, the cashew trees are thick with bright yellow and red fruit and the evening sun turns the dusty ground to a jeweled hue in the arid region. Tens of thousands travel to the tiny town of Juazeiro do Norte in the state of Ceará, 400 miles from the ocean. Their journey is to honor Padre Cicero, the unofficial patron saint of the poor, criminals and whores. He was a de-frocked Catholic priest who gained widespread fame as a miracle worker in the early 20th century.
During the two-day pilgrimage in November, poor and rich alike gather around a 75-foot statue of the priest high in the hills above Juazeiro. The statue is the starting point for a 2 mile trek along a beggar-lined dusty path to a sacred point marked by historic graves and a tiny chapel. Along the way, the most devout put themselves through spiritual tests, walking on knees, squeezing between rocks, and sliding on their backs to mark their devotion. On the final morning, the crowds gather for the mass of the “chapeu” (hat), featuring straw hats, which symbolize the rural roots of the country.
If Recife sits on the coast but looks towards its interior landscape, the Northeastern coastal city of Salvador Da Bahia embraces the water and draws its identity from the ocean and Africa beyond. Walking through the historic section of Salvador called the “Pelourinho,” a visitor can sample cuisine from Benin, hear words from Africa, and witness the results of the blending of Catholicism and African religions. The latter is most obvious in the practice of “Candomblé,” its beliefs originating in West Africa with spirits that fuse with the saints in the Catholic religion.
For New Year’s Eve, hearts and heads turn to Iemanja (ee-ah-men-ja), one of the deities of Candomblé. She is the goddess of the sea and the mother of life. As the holiday approaches, stores fill with white clothing - one of the colors that honors Iemanja. To celebrate New Year’s Eve, the city goes to the ocean, tossing offerings of white flowers to Iemanja in the hopes of gaining favor in the coming year.
Iemanja also has her own feast day. On February 2nd boatloads of flowers are taken to sea from the rocky beach of Rio Vermelho on Salvador’s east side. Thousands of followers rinse themselves in the flower-strewn ocean and make promises to the goddess.
A powerful presence in Salvador is the “baianas”- Afro-brazilian women dressed in colored and white lace who sing and dance in traditions harkening back centuries. For the annual “Lavagem do Bonfim,“ or the washing of one of the famous churches in Salvador, Nosso Senhor do Bonfim (Our Lord of the Good End), hundreds of baianas and men clad in white lead followers in a six mile walk to the 18th century church. They ceremoniously wash the steps and celebrate the graces of the saints with food and music. Visitors often tie tiny ribbons marked with the name of the church on their wrist, with the hope that when the string breaks their prayer will be answered.
Northeast Brazil is an area rich in culture and cuisine. To the curious traveler it offers new adventures and unique insights to people whose lives endure between land and sea.
