Meat became a verb: body and communication in the view of the pilgrims from Bonfim de Natividade

Abstract

In the light of Cultural History, this article proposed to listen to the pilgrims present in the Pilgrimage of Bonfim, of Natividade (TO), as a way to analyze their understanding of the bodily performances performed before the sacred image of Bonfim, in the central Shrine of the village. Through interviews, we found, for example, that the body is an elementary and essential part of religious festivities and that it expresses desires and feelings. In the ambiance of the religious space, most of the saint’s devotees demonstrate to understand the meanings and symbologies attributed to the ritualized body in the position of media body.