1 - STORIES OF OUR HINTERLAND
Long before we imported traditions from abroad, regarding supernatural stories, our folklore was already rich in this regard. Boi-tatá, headless mule, saci-pererê, Iara, just to mention some of the mystical entities originating from our beloved corner. Add to this the periodic appearances of the devil himself in stories told by the lamp, on full moon nights, especially in Lent. Yes, because according to the sertaneja tradition, it is in Lent that mystical entities are on the loose in the world, trying to misguide the unwary... I think misguiding is not the correct term... often the interference of these beings in the lives of poor mortals it is yet another warning of what can happen to these if they are not corrected in time. For example, dances and parties... during the forty-day period between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday are forbidden according to sertaneja legends. And whoever dares to break the taboo and promote or participate in these celebrations will certainly have their punishment determined by occult forces. There are many stories told at family gatherings among the elderly. Unfortunately, as it is an oral tradition and we don't always have the common sense to record these stories in writing, much is lost over time, as good storytellers gradually move to the other side of existence. My grandfather knew lots and lots of stories. When we went to his house in the countryside, when night came, and we were all gathered in the kitchen... not every settler's house has a room for people to gather, so people gather in the kitchen, really... he he told us stories of his youth, when he explored the sertão working with cattle. Yes, for a long time he was a cowboy. Then, over the years, he became a carrier, the driver of the oxcart. And as a carrier, he suffered an accident, with the oxcart falling on him, when crossing a bridge. He almost died, staying a long time without being able to work. During this period, my grandmother and her children, all small, in fact, had to do their best to take care of my grandfather and work in the fields... because if they didn't work, the food would disappear from the table...
My grandfather had many stories to tell. Too bad I only heard a few, and never recorded them on paper, as I never felt the height of their narratives. I even tried to write one of his stories once, but I didn't like the end result and ended up discarding all the material. It was a kind of fairy tale, with a boy in search of fortune and love, and he only achieved his intention with the help of his friends, magical beings who lived among humanity. It's a very beautiful story. One day I'll try to tell it, being as faithful as possible to my grandfather's story, who was a simply spectacular person... but today, my theme is Lent...
The Catholic Church has a certain influence on the life of the sertanejo. But this influence has other parameters, which do not have a logical explanation. Yes, the redneck believes in God, the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ. But the way he professes his faith is a bit different from what the Holy See wants from its faithful. He is a firm believer in miracles and punishment... and the Church doesn't always recognize its own miracles... as for punishment, only that after death. But for the caipira, the reckoning with the afterlife takes place on this plane, really. It is clear that it is a veiled belief, not exposed to the world, so that it is not judged and condemned by the Holy Mother Church.... but it is a completely different relationship to that of the hillbilly with God... after all, there are some rules in this world that must be followed... otherwise, you will have to pay tribute even here on this plane... and you will not escape the punishment on the other side, depending on the sin committed.
A couple who live together and have never been married before a priest is an endless source of sin. Adultery is a mortal sin. A child who is not baptized is condemned to eternal suffering... and so on. As for the couple who did not have their union blessed... there are two similar and different cases of punishment for them. If it's simply two people who like each other and get together, they become a mule without a head... if it's godmother and godmother who decide to get together... in that case it's adultery, since one of the couples is already married... .if they turn into a boi-tatá... and when are they really going to manifest themselves? Well, usually it's on full moon nights, but during Lent it's during the forty days... and it's bad luck that crossing the path of these enchanted beasts... will die, as they are doomed to destroy the life around them... the only way to escape with your life when you encounter one of these beasts is to hide your hair, teeth and nails... a bit tricky, isn't it? Another way, the simplest, is to enter a house and lock the door, before the monster reaches you... but he will try in every way to break down the door to attack you... and if your faith in God isn't strong enough... well, I don't need to finish the sentence, do I?
There are good stories on the subject... I'll come back to it another time...
It's eight o'clock on this beautiful and wonderful Thursday that now begins... may this be a simply enchanting day in our lives. May God allow us to have the best of all the farms we've experienced to date....
See you tomorrow, if God so permits... Kisses....
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