My informant is a native of Brazil and is of Portuguese descent. According to her, her grandmother, from whom she learned this superstition, was a fervent Catholic and “knew hundreds of saints and their miracles and for every misfortune or mishap there would be some saint to pray to or a superstition to fix it!” She said superstitions were her grandmother’s specialty. She recalls of her grandmother: “If it was raining hard with thunder and lightning she would go around the house covering the mirrors: they attract the storm.”
I have never heard any superstition quite like this one, though I have heard others that associate omens with mirrors. Certainly I have never associated mirror superstitions like this one with Catholicism. This magic-superstition is probably either taken directly from native lore or is a hybridization of the lore of the Portuguese with that of the native land.
Monthly Archives: April 2012
Sta. Clara Superstition
“If you wanted the weather to change from cloudy and rainy to sunny and dry: break an egg over a wall under the moon in honor of Saint Clara and the weather would change in the morning.”
This is my informant’s synopsis of a superstition her grandmother held. My informant is a native of Brazil and is of Portuguese descent. According to her, her grandmother, from whom she learned this superstition, was a fervent Catholic and “knew hundreds of saints and their miracles and for every misfortune or mishappen there would be some saint to pray to or a superstition to fix it!” She said superstitions were her grandmother’s specialty.
This belief strikes me as one of the most contrived-sounding superstitions I have ever heard; it really seems strange to combine all those elements. According to the New Advent’s Catholic Encyclopedia (http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/index.html), there were two St. Clare’s (but no “Clara”). Both were known for their piety, but neither is associated with the weather or the sun or clouds or rain. Certainly, neither is associated with the egg or fertility, as nuns are celibate. This magic- superstition is likely an example of hybridization. As many holidays including Christmas and Easter were once non-Christian feasts, to which the Catholic church attached Christian meaning to facilitate mass-conversion within their growing dominion, this superstition was probably once a native idea, to which Portuguese Catholics attached Saint Clara (or Clare). As the name “Clare” (and also “clarity” and “clairvoyance”) is associated with light, St. Clare was probably chosen to replace a pagan entity that manipulated weather in the native lore.
Prayer to São Longuinho
“If you are looking for something and can’t find it you need to promise to São Longuinho that you will jump three times and scream three times and the saint will find it for you.”
This is my informant’s description of a superstition her grandmother held. My informant is a native of Brazil and is of Portuguese descent. According to her, her grandmother, from whom she learned this superstition, was a fervent Catholic and “knew hundreds of saints and their miracles and for every misfortune or mishap there would be some saint to pray to or a superstition to fix it!” She said superstitions were her grandmother’s specialty.
I am not aware of any superstition of jumping and screaming to find a lost object in Catholic tradition. This superstition does, however, contain Catholic elements, such as the saint, and the idea of three. Catholic tradition is replete with threes, symbolizing the Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. This magic-superstition is likely an example of hybridization. As many holidays including Christmas and Easter were once non-Christian feasts, to which the Catholic church attached Christian meaning to facilitate mass-conversion within their growing dominion, this superstition was probably once a native idea, to which Portuguese Catholics attached S o Longuinho.
The Legend of Xica da Silva
Xica da Silva was an African slave woman in Brazil long before the nation abolished it in 1888. She was able to gain her freedom through marriage into the Portuguese court. A particular royal Portuguese official (Tax Collector according to my informant) “fell desperately for her” and she gave him sexual favors, winning her emancipation. The collector, who was becoming wealthy and powerful due to the success of gold mining in Brazil, had a palace built for his wife. Even though the colony in which they lived was landlocked, he also built a ship and a lagoon for the ship, just so Xica could feel the sensation of sailing.
My informant says that it was Xica’s rise out of slavery and into wealth and luxury that made her legendary among the slaves. I asked her if Xica was some kind of hero to the slaves or did anything to benefit them, and my informant said that Xica, through sex, earned only her own freedom and in fact had slaves herself. This story remained a popular local legend until the emancipation of the slaves in 1888, and has now apparently become a migratory legend. When the slaves were freed, their labor was replaced by that of immigrants. My informant’s family, originally of Italian descent (she had one Portuguese grandmother; the rest of the family were Italian), emigrated to Brazil in 1890, where her grandfather grew up on a coffee farm. He heard this historical legend from the local workers, who were former slaves, and he passed it to my informant, who recalled it as the story “that impressed me the most” of all those she heard from Brazilian lore. She said that Xica was indeed a historical person, and that the essence of the story is true (how Xica used sex to buy freedom and lived in abundance as the wife of a wealthy nobleman), but that the popular imagination among the slaves may have exaggerated the amount of gold and luxury she enjoyed.
Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel
I recall participating in a festival just once many years ago, as a child, in Whitehall, New York, with my paternal family. Apparently, this traditional celebration on July 16 has been part of their tradition since my great grandparents immigrated to the United States. My informant said, “One of the greatest traditions that Italians brought with them was the establishment of the ‘Sons of Italy Society’ which all young men enrolled in. They continued to foster all the customs and activities from their heritage.” In particular, she described a parade that was part of the event, calling it one of the “proudest achievements” of the society. Marching through the village of Whitehall, people of all ages in the Italian community took part in the parade, which included bands and floats. My informant also mentioned other festivities associated with the July 16 event. “In the evening a band concert was held. Ethnic food was sold in various booths in an open field.” She recalled her favorite part of the event being the grand display of fireworks that was held in the late hours. She said, “It was the culmination of all working together to bring the best entertainment to all the folks in Whitehall and all the nearby communities.”
My informant associated this event with a certain Mass that was held on that day, but gave no other detail other than that it was a “solemn Mass” and that it was conducted by three priests and celebrated by three generations of family. More details about this celebration, its origins, and its association to the religious calendar can be found in a report from another informant on this same event, and in the annotation.
My aunt also participated in the July 16 festival (mentioned in the previous report) growing up. Her slightly differing recollections that may illustrate changes that were made over the years, or perhaps are just details that my great aunt forgot or left out. My informant, my aunt, also provided some information on the festival’s name and association with the Catholic church.
According to her, the festival was a three-day event, from July 14 – 16, called the Tritium. The church conducted a special service and benediction at night on the fourteenth and fifteenth, and on the third day everyone celebrated a feast called the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. My aunt said there were two bazaars during the Tritium when she was growing up. The first occurred on the fifteenth, and included food, fireworks, and a concert band. The second bazaar, celebrated in Mt. Carmel field in Whitehall, was a town-wide event and was more extravagant than the more local festival on the fifteenth. According to my informant, my great grandparents cooked and served hot dogs and sausage and my grandfather served beer at the event. There were other activities and games such as roulette, as well, and everyone wore costumes. Like my other informant, my aunt also called the eleven o’clock fireworks “the highlight of the summer.” My family (great grandfather in particular) also used the event to collect donations for a charity, the Mount Carmel Society.
Annotation/additional comments:
The New Advent Organization’s Catholic Encyclopedia (article by Frederick G. Holweck:(http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/index.html) http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10604b.htm) gives a detailed account of the history of the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. The holiday was originally established in the late fourteenth century to honor the victory of the Carmelite sect over an enemy sect. Throughout the years, it eventually came to be accepted as a holiday universally throughout the Catholic church.
Blood is only one aspect of ethnicity. People groups are held together by many factors, including language, lore, and religion. This religious festival helped to define and preserve an ethnic group in their new location. As many Italian immigrants were Catholic in the nineteenth century (and continue to be), celebrating their Catholicism also helped to affirm their identity as the Italian-American community.