The Festa Das Marocas (Marocas’ Festival) is a cultural event which is part of Pernambuco Cultural Nation Festival (‘Cold Circuit’), held in Belo Jardim, a municipality in rural Pernambuco, located 180 km from Recife.
It was created in 1970 by three local residents –Maria José Lima, Zélia Franklin and Conceição Augusta–who, inspired by the soap opera Redenção (Redemption) on the extinct Tupi TV Network, created an improvised street 'forró' in João Pessoa St, a location similar to the one portrayed on the soap opera. Broadcast from May 1966 to May 1968, ittold the story of some gossiping women who talked about and judged other people’s lives from their windows.
The Marocas’ Festival, also known as the Festa da Redenção (Redemption Festival), held annually in July, turns the city into a centre of music and popular culture, attracting a large number of people and mobilising almost the entire local population.
Today, regarded as the main social and cultural activity of the city, the festival has the support of the Municipality of Belo Jardim, promoting numerous attractions that, in addition to promoting tourism, helps the region’s economy.
There are six days of forró music, and popular attractions like ciranda dances; coco de roda dances; blunderbussers; competitions and square-dances –some of them irreverent,like the Katraias, where women dress as men, and men dress as women; accordion performances; prizes for the more decorated carts and donkeys; a forró contest, Drilha parades (square-dances similar to the Salvador carnival’s trios eléctricos) like the traditional Soró Sereno, with 27 years of tradition, bringing together a large number of people and whose presentation has its high point at Siqueira Campos Avenue.
In recent years, the trio elétrico of the band Asas da Américawas responsible for opening and closing the festival, where regional music artists have performed,such as Dominguinhos, Alcymar Monteiro, Novinho da Paraíba, Santanna, Petrúcio Amorim, Elifas Júnior, Luiz and Davi, Sirano and Sirino, Savinho, thebands Limão com Mel, Noda de Caju, Detonautas do Forró, Grafite, Havana, Laços de Mel, Chá de Zabumba, Calango Aceso, Brasas do Forró, Quenga de Côco, Trio and Banda Kekeu, Los Cubanos, Banda Fernando Júnior and Forró dos Plays.
Previously held through the city streets, now the festival’s main hub is the Nivaldo JatobáEventPark, where the public has more comfort and safety.
Through Law No. 13842, signed by the governor of Pernambuco on 14 August 2009, the Marocas’ Festival became an Immaterial Patrimony of Pernambuco, after approval of Bill No. 964/09, submitted to the Legislative Assembly of Pernambuco.
Recife, 14 march 2011.
Translated by Peter Leamy, January 2012.
sources consulted
FESTA das Marocas. Disponível em: . Acesso: 14 mar. 2011.
GOMES, Giovani. Festa das Marocas com desfile e tradição em Belo Jardim. 8 jul. 2010. Diponível em: . Acesso em: 14 mar. 2011.
PERNAMBUCO. Assembléia Legislativa. Projeto de Lei Ordinária Nº 964/2009 (enviada p/redação final). Disponível em: . Acesso em: 14 mar. 2011.
TRADIÇÕES culturais do Estado tornam-se Patrimônio Imaterial. Tribuna Parlamentar: Informativo da Assembléia Legislativa de Pernambuco, Recife, ano 9, n. 81, jun. 2009. Disponível em: . Acesso em: 14 mar. 2011.
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Source: GASPAR, Lúcia. Marocas’ Festival, Belo Jardim, Pe . Pesquisa Escolar Online, Joaquim Nabuco Foudation, Recife. Available at: <http://basilio.fundaj.gov.br/pesquisaescolar/>. Accessed: day month year. Exemple: 6 Aug. 2009