Devotion to Saint George has always been part of Soneli Gomes’ life. His relationship with the Christian saint comes, according to his memory, since he was a child. “My mother is going to be 93 years old and she has always been very devout. And I always accompanied my mother on this path. I have São Jorge in my house, I have a São Jorge shirt. He is the saint of my protection. At least once a month I have to come to church [de São Jorge, no centro da cidade do Rio de Janeiro]”, said the 66-year-old pensioner. The saint, who would have been a Roman soldier born in Cappadocia, present-day Turkey, and martyred for his Christian faith, is a popular religious figure. Even if the stories about him are shrouded in legends. In Brazil, and especially in Rio de Janeiro, it is not only revered by many people, but has also become a pop phenomenon, appearing on t-shirts, tattoos and being the theme of several songs, books and even a telenovela, Salve Jorge. . Shop sells various items with an image of São Jorge, in Praça da República, in the center of the capital of Rio de Janeiro. Photo – Tomaz Silva/Agência Brasil Worldwide, he is considered a protector of young scouts, soldiers and horsemen. He is the patron saint of countries such as England, Georgia and Ethiopia. Here in Brazil, one of the most popular soccer teams in the country, Corinthians, chose Santo Guerreiro as its patron saint. The club’s headquarters is called Parque São Jorge. In Rio de Janeiro, where he is revered by samba dancers, and by samba culture in general, devotion to him has reached another level. Saint’s Day, April 23, is a state holiday. And, in May 2019, he officially became the state’s patron saint. The State Fire Department has in him its protector, as well as military police. Master in Education João Victor Gonçalves Ferreira, who studied the festivities of São Jorge in the city of Rio, says that the Christian saint is, in fact, a multiple figure. “Here in Brazil, he gained many meanings, especially when he is associated with the orixás. Here in the Southeast, São Jorge is Ogun, the orixá of technology, iron, battles, the warrior orixá”. At the time of slavery, imprisoned Africans brought by force to Brazil began to associate their orixás with Catholic figures in order to be able to maintain their devotion without being harassed by Christian slaveholders, thus giving rise to Brazilian religious syncretism. Ogun, god of iron and war in Yoruba mythology, was soon associated with the martyred Roman soldier. “São Jorge takes on another contour when some characteristics typical of Ogum are associated with it through the syncretic process. So it’s very common, for example, to see beer being offered to São Jorge. In Rio de Janeiro, anyone who entered a bar has already seen a São Jorge with a glass of beer. This is typical of São Jorge, because it is also typical of Ogum. Syncretism brought even greater value to São Jorge. Added to it values, cults and very symbolic practices. And a myth was created around this saint”, explains Ferreira. And, although today not all devotees have this very clear notion, the two figures are associated, but distinct. “The proximity to the mythologies [de São Jorge e Ogum] makes people associate [as duas figuras]”, said researcher from the State University of Rio de Janeiro (Uerj) Ana Paula Alves Ribeiro. According to Ana Paula, the concentration of terreiros in Rio de Janeiro can also explain the dimension of the cult of São Jorge in the state. The researcher has followed the festivities dedicated to the saint, which usually gather thousands of people on April 23, for more than 20 years. She coordinates Uerj’s Afrodigital Museum, which brings together photographic records of popular festivities in Rio, such as those dedicated to the Holy Warrior, made since 2012. “São Jorge has a penetration into popular culture, and Afro-Brazilian culture, that few saints have. We will find people with T-shirts, medals, rings. You will find São Jorge on the doorsteps of houses, on tiles, in images. There is a repertoire about São Jorge that is sung by Brazilian popular music”. Singer and composer Zeca Pagodinho, who has a huge statue of Saint George in his home in Xerém (RJ), is one of the artists who turned his devotion into music. He composed, with Ratinho, the song Lua de Ogum, and also recorded Pra São Jorge, by Pecê Ribeiro, and Ogum, by Marquinhos PQD and Claudemir. “My devotion to São Jorge dates back to my childhood. I saw the rascals, the samba dancers, with São Jorge strings. Every tavern had a statue of Saint George. He is a warrior, a knight of the sky”, said Zeca Pagodinho. Researcher Ana Paula believes that Brazilians identify with the warrior symbolism of the saint. “The question of being a holy warrior, but also of overcoming the demands [atrai os devotos]. The demands may not be large or visible. They can be sentimental, loving, spiritual, religious. The demands range from everyday confrontations to those great crossroads moments when we need to make a decision. It has great appeal.” The Master in Education João Ferreira recalls that, in the city of Rio de Janeiro, São Jorge is a kind of unofficial patron saint, since the official function belongs to São Sebastião. “Unlike our patron saint, São Jorge is not represented in his death like São Sebastião and the arrows. São Jorge is symbolized as a great warrior, the one who wins challenges and battles, who killed the dragon. And this symbolic construction is very significant for Brazilians, who are people who always associate everyday life with this issue of battle. For the faithful of São Jorge, everyday battles are the dragon we kill every day. If he can slay the dragon, he can help overcome personal, work, and health issues. That is why so many people cling to and make promises to the saint”. Marcelo Lopes found a target of his faith in São Jorge about 15 years ago. “I needed to cling to some belief. I needed to believe in something, because I didn’t believe in anything, and that did me a lot of good. São Jorge is a warrior and I’m a warrior guy, I’ve been working since I was little, I’ve always liked having my own money and it’s in him that I trust”, said the 52-year-old electronics technician, who every year visits the church of city center. For João Ferreira, the saint even goes beyond the religions associated with him in Brazil (Catholicism and cults of African origin). “You find a series of people who say that they are not of any specific religion, but that they are devotees of São Jorge, or as they say, ‘friends of Jorge’ or ‘sons of Jorge’. It is interesting to see how much this saint overcomes religious institutionalization itself, when people link to him as the patron of the faith. That’s why, in Rio de Janeiro, you go out on the street all the time and find many cars with São Jorge stickers, many São Jorge shirts. São Jorge became almost a pop symbol”. In Rio de Janeiro, the saint’s day is celebrated with ceremonies in terreiros and with parties in the churches dedicated to him, such as the churches of São Jorge, in the center, and of Quintino, in the north of the city. Another common way of celebrating the saint is the feijoada promoted by his devotees. “Many parties on that date of April 23 will be making feijoadas in the streets, whether celebrating with friends or donating. São Jorge’s feijoada is Ogum’s food. Beans are the food offered to Ogum”, explains João Ferreira. The parties promoted by the churches usually bring together tens of thousands of faithful on April 23rd. Father Dirceu Rigo, parish priest of Quintino, hopes that by the end of this Sunday (23), about one million people will have participated in the masses, celebrations and procession. “The people of Rio de Janeiro are a very suffering and hardworking people. And he identifies a lot with São Jorge. This is the beautiful devotion, not to be discouraged, not to lose hope, but to fight. And that is what is beautiful to see in the devotees of São Jorge. Even in difficulties, sometimes in sadness, in pain, in suffering, he does not lose heart. They are going to fight to win the ‘battle’, said the priest. According to the Vatican itself, the saint’s story is considered legendary, as many narratives involving him are clearly fanciful. The most famous of them would have been born in the period of the Crusades and reports that Jorge would have saved a princess from a terrible dragon that lived in a swamp in Libya. This legend, incidentally, is immortalized by many images of the saint, which portray him mounted on a horse, sticking his spear into a dragon. Church of São Jorge, in Praça da República, in the center of the capital of Rio de Janeiro. Foto-Tomaz Silva / Agência Brasil Since 1969, parties in his honor are considered optional by the Catholic Church, due to the absence of some information about his life. “As with other saints shrouded in legend, the story of Saint George serves to remind the world of a fundamental idea, that, in the end, good triumphs over evil,” informs the official Vatican website. “The dragon he fought was not the beast [retratado nas imagens]. The dragon was the lack of faith when Emperor Diocletian [sob cujo governo Jorge teria sido martirizado] he summoned all the governors and mayors and said that they should persecute the Christians and kill them”, said Father Dirceu Rigo.
Agência Brasil
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