Entre ramos de poder: rezadeiras e práticas mágicas na zona rural de Areia-PB.

Abstract

This dissertation presents the practices of prayer made by the women mourners, and shared by those who are prayed for in communities of “Chã de Jardim”, “Gruta do Lino” and “Tabuleiro de Muquém,” which are communities located in rural area of Areia-PB. The debate about popular culture is justified based on the contributions of Bakhtin and Chartier, leading to an analysis of the practices of prayer as part of a cultural circularity a universe of cultural practices and religious healing. It was conducted a survey about prayers said by mourners and, in addition, to have an overview of the practice of praying, allowed associations with the medical practices and religious experiences. Thus, we analyze how the traditional healing practices and the medicine practices are shared by the families and the mourners of such communities, who make use those practices in order to get healed. Moreover, we observe how the mourners relationships are established in the Catholic environment, since official elements as the prayers and devotion to the saints integrate the prayer practices. We noticed, in the dynamics of relations between the mourners and people who are prayed for the pursuit for health, the preservation of traditions and construction of sacred experiences building that consolidate the prayer effectiveness.