Telephone card manufactured by Telemig in 1998 - Series Portrait of Minas, Photo by Congado do Serro Group - City of Milho Verde - Minas Gerais - Brazil
The congado brings together the Mozambique, Catopés, Congo, Marujada, Caboclos, Vilão and Candombe groups. Slaves brought from Africa sought, through rituals, to extrapolate their feelings and worship their faith. Congado was born from the fusion of these rites with the Catholic religion, imposed on blacks by the Church, emerging new stories that involved, above all, Nossa Senhora do Rosário, São Benedito, Santa Ifigênia, Nossa Senhora das Mercês and Nossa Senhora da Aparecida.
One of the most popular manifestations in Minas Gerais folklore, the congado (or congada) is heavily influenced by African culture in fusion with the Catholic religion. In it, saints such as São Benedito, Nossa Senhora das Mercês and, mainly, Nossa Senhora do Rosário, known as destined to take care of slaves, are celebrated.
The legend about its origin states that the congado was born with the arrival of the king of Congo, known as Chico-Rei, in a slave ship brought by the Portuguese. Chico-Rei would have been taken to Vila Rica and there, he was able to free his son and some countrymen through his work, being highly venerated by the slave community.
The congado has several groups, or “ternos”, where each one has its own formation, rite and identity. In general, the party is a ritual that involves singing, mast-raising, with coronation and musical instruments. The main congado suits are:
Mozambique: more traditional in Minas Gerais, it involves songs and songs related to faith; Marujada: of Moorish origin, they use boxes and many rattles; Villain: comes from the term to designate young people who robbed farms. The ritual makes reference to this conflict; Catopés: songs that reveal a certain irony or social criticism, have indigenous influence.
In the city of Brumadinho, the community of Sapé, also known as Quilombo de Sapé, maintains its cultural traits inherited from its ancestors.
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