A polifonia da festa em Olho d'água da bica no Município de Tabuleiro do Norte - Ce.

Abstract

The main point explored by this work is an analysis of the religious feast dedicated to Our Lady of Health which takes place every year at the Olho d’Água da Bica district in the Tabuleiro do Norte county in the the State of Ceará from August 5th to August 15th. The sanctuary’s foundation is marked by histories that are seen by believers as a proof that the place is indeed sacred due to the existence of a perennial spring whose water has healing properties as revealed in a dream to a certain priest. The district has been visited for many years by people from several places in the state and other regions which led me to evaluate the feast from a perspective of a multiple sound composition, that is, a physical space that houses not only the religious core but also several other categories who present distinct discourses. They are pilgrims, merchants, the clergy and inhabitants, actors who in spite of their different backgrounds get together in the place every year to create a social web that will promote the rupture of local life. Aspects of the imaginary and symbolic representations besides the sanctuary’s foundation and the relations that spring from the pilgrimage are discussed in this work according to an analysis of healing rituals and stories as produced by the social actors that perform in the feast of Our Lady of Health.