BODY, CULTURE AND SYNCRETISM: THE CONGADA MANIFESTATION

Abstract

This paper has the aim to describe and analyze the Congada manifestation as an element of syncretism that enables the relationship among the body, as a social construction, the sacred and the profane. For that purpose, I developed an ethnography for studying this manifestation of the Congada Irmandade Nossa Senhora do Rosário. The results show that there is, in this manifestation, a ritual system grounded on transcendental elements, which the group used to establish a relation with the body as sacred, representing its afro-descending cultural identity in the social context of a modern city such as Brasília.

Key words: Body. Culture. Syncretism. Congada. Ritual System and Identity.