Monday 8th February 2010 | Posted by Márcio

At the moment I am writing this Beyonce performs for 70 thousand people in São Paulo. I would usually attend to this and to any other big international concert in Brazil, but since my return from a 14 days trip to Bahia my heart only beats for Chapada Diamantina.

One of the most beautiful touristic spots in Brazil, but still regarded as a cool and unexplored destination for travelers for its distance to Salvador and Recife airports, colonial village of Lençóis used to be the central market for the trade of gems and diamonds at Chapada. In fact, it is now known that only ten percent of the diamond reserves were atually taken out. And since mining activities were considered illegal by the federal government in 1990s, the rest of this treasure are to remain untouchable under stunning mountain rangers, forests, rivers, canyons and caves.

Lençóis is affordable and charming and recently has been invaded by Austrian hippies  - the same kind you would meet at an issue of Ozoro Festival. LSD, DMT, chilom - everything is available for those who know the right people. Jurema trees flourish everywhere and people do what they can to enhance the experience of visiting the amazing waterfalls, caves and beautiful trekking and hiking pathways.

Original Soundtrack

I never felt relaxed listening to Vampire Weekend during our trips in the car. I find the guys great but I also thought I should be listening to something originally Brazilian for the sake of Bahia,  homeland of Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil  - as well as my grandparents. But listening to Transa or Gil & Jorge on the speaker of my mobile phone became rather a torture.

 

I was lucky enough though to be in Lençóis right on the day of Senhor dos Passos festivities. Brazil is the largest catholic nation in the world, and Bahia State, the richest state during colonial period was influenced by Catholic, African and Native religions like no other. Senhor dos Passos or Zang Tangue is the protector of the miners under Candomblé tradition. His church was built in early 1800 under their requirement so miners could pray their African god under a Catholic vest.

 

This mixture culminated in ceremonies such as Lavagem da Escadaria (something like church ladder washing). Bahianas in typical dresses brum and wash the church floor in order to purify the spirit. The Pai de Santo (from Jarê religion group Filhos de Santo do Palácio de Ogum) pours the water while bahianas rub and scratch the floor under our feet, African drums (from contemporaneous percussion band Percohits) are played outside along a presentation of Capoeira (Corda Bamba Group). As the drums stops, a philharmonic orchestra (founded in 1903) starts playing popular songs. In the back garden, representatives of Reizado (playing The Three Magic Kings) are on the last days of their journey celebrating the birth of Christ. The partisans sing and play popular and indigenous instruments. They are all on cachaça and obviously high. Just like me and everyone else at Chapada* Diamantina. 

 
Although the washing ladder ceremony arrived in Lençóis only in the 1970, the festivities take place since 19th century from January 23rd to February 2nd.
* Chapado (a) also means high in Brazilian Portuguese.

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