Itapecerica MG Week of Sorrows berra-boi

berra-boi

berra-boi = “ox-beller,” the local name for the whirled cord-and-PVC blade

At midnight during Itapecerica’s Week of Sorrows, the Sociedade Renasceriana carried a triangular piece of PVC on a one-metre cord through seven prayer stations to the cemetery. Whirled through the air, the berra-boi produced a ‘frightening hum.’

fio de um metro com um pedaço triangular de PVC preso em uma extremidade que, girado vigorosamente no ar, faz zunido assustador.

a one-metre cord with a triangular piece of PVC attached at one end that, when vigorously whirled in the air, makes a frightening hum.

Guy Veloso, Penitentes: Fotografias de Guy Veloso (2019), caption 27, PDF p. 108

Particulars

Object

A one-metre cord with a triangular PVC piece at one end, vigorously whirled in air to make a frightening hum.

Function

Week of Sorrows soul-commendation procession: midnight route, seven prayer stations, and cemetery.