Entre preces, hinos e danças: as performances no Ofício Divino das Comunidades

Abstract

This research was born from the desire to unveil the performances in the celebrations of the Divine Office of the Communities (ODC) and, to this end, the focus was on the celebrations in their entirety, with an emphasis on the rite and the actions of the celebrants. Observations were carried out in three celebrations in the cities of Goiânia (GO), Pontezinha (PE) and Belo Horizonte (MG), and the memories and experiences lived in other ODC celebrations served as resonances and contributed to the reflections on the performances. To record the observations and considerations on the researcher's perspectives, a field diary, photographic records and some recorded scenes were used in order to deepen the study of the performances in the Divine Office of the Communities. The interviews provided a deeper reflection on the performances, bringing to light essential elements that served as rich material for this study. During the investigative course, the liminal rites, the passage through the door or even the extended silence, essential to the ODC, were observed. Of great importance, the practices of Popular Piety entered the celebrations, composing the celebratory space with the patchwork quilt and the bread of the venerated saint. Finally, the Divine Office of the Communities was highlighted in its performative whole, extending to the daily life of each celebrant in the performance of life.