Chegança is a popular play from Northeastern Brazil based on ancient Iberian traditions celebrated in maritime-inspired novels and dances that represent battles between Christians and Moors.
Some researchers claim that the term Chegança originates from nautical words such as chegar (arrive), which means folding the sails upon the arrival of the ship, or chegada (arrival), in the sense of “boarding” or “collision.”
The staging of Chegança started to become popular in Brazil in the early 19th century. It is usually presented during Christmas, but some riverside towns incorporate it into the celebrations of Bom Jesus dos Navegantes, extending its presentation period until February.
Background actors of Chegança dress as Navy sailors and act like crew members of a traveling vessel, according to their ranks.
In Laranjeiras, a historic city in the state of Sergipe on the banks of the Cotinguiba River, the background actors board and navigate a small stretch of the river. Then, they disembark to continue the staging, aiming to add greater realism to the representation.
Chegança is represented in many episodes called journeys, the most common is O Embarque, which is usually the first to be presented, since it shows the beginning of a trip at sea; O Anau Perdido, reminiscent of a threatening storm; A Rezinga Grande, which narrates the disagreement between the Pilot and the Boss; O Contrabando dos Guardas-Marinha, which reports contraband on the ship; A Agulha de Marear, which refers to the loss of the guidance instrument; and A Mourama ou Combate, the highlight of Chegança, in which the battle between Moors and Christians is fought.
The presentation plot of Chegança is developed by declamations and, mainly, by songs accompanied by music and dance. Its instrumental music is performed by four or six tambourines and a whistle used by the Pilot or the General to command progress and the change of marchas (paces). The marchas correspond to the beats of the tambourines and are divided into: marcha batida, marcha bailada, marcha ligeira, and marcha lenta.
The type of marcha is directly related to the situation and is used to break the monotony of the long presentation. For example, marcha lenta is played in the Piloto Ferido (Wounded Pilot) episode, whereas marcha ligeira represents the war preparations.
The basic arrangement of the characters in Chegança is in rows and feet movement is minimal during the dance. Without leaving their places, the dancers move their body from one side to the other, accompanying the movement of a vessel at sea.
The play begins with the group leaving while singing the “street marches,” of which the most traditional, according to Théo Brandão, is:
Alerta, alerta, quem dorme,
Olha a moça na janela;
Venha ver o nau tirano
Quando vai largando a vela.
Ô, meu Deus, que terra é aquela,
Terra de tanta alegria
- É o campo do Rosário
Onde festejam Maria
Entramos neste nau de guerra
Todos nós com muita alegria,
Pra festejar o Nascimento
De Jesus que é filho de Maria!
Entramos com gosto, com muita alegria
Louvores viemos dar à Virgem Maria!
A Virgem Maria seja nossa guia
Ela nos queira ajudar hoje e por todo o dia!
[Alert, alert, those who sleep,
Look at the woman by the window;
Come see the tyrant vessel
When it starts sailing.
Oh my God, what is that land,
Land of so much joy
- It’s the Rosário field
Where they celebrate Mary
We enter this war vessel
All of us, with so much joy,
To celebrate the Birth
Of Jesus, who is Mary’s son!
We enter happily, with so much joy
We came to praise the Virgin Mary!
May the Virgin Mary be our guide
May she want to help us today, all day long!]
Recife, December 20, 2011.
sources consulted
BRANDÃO, Théo. Folguedos natalinos: chegança. Maceió: Universidade Federal de Alagoas; Museu Théo Brandão, [1976?]. (Coleção Folclórica da UFAL, 25).
DANTAS, Beatriz G. Chegança. Rio de Janeiro: Ministério da Educação e Cultura; Departamento de Assuntos Culturais; Fundação Nacional de Arte, [1977?]. (Cadernos de folclore, 14).
MENDENGO FILHO, Pedro. Chegança: um dramalhão de ritual esquecido. Rio de Janeiro, 2008. Disponível em: <http://www.aldeiamaracu.org.br/cheganca.pdf>. Acesso em: 20 dez. 2011.
how to quote this text
OLIVEIRA, Albino. Chegança. In: Pesquisa Escolar. Recife: Fundação Joaquim Nabuco, 2011. Available at: https://pesquisaescolar.fundaj.gov.br/en/artigo/cheganca/. Access on: month day year. (Ex.: Aug, 6 2020.)