by
Larissa LiraArt & Culture
by
Larissa Lira
Discovering marcatu
In 1945, in Recife, Dorival Caymi
created "Dora", one of the most known songs that talks
about "queen of frevo
and maracatu/ nobody swings or dances better than
you". In 1963 Jorge Ben also created "Mais que
nada", a mix of samba and maracatu and Gilberto Gil, in
1973, launched "Maracatu Atômico" written by Jorge
Mautner and Nelson Jacobina. The rythm is very dissimulated
actually, and we can find it, principally, in MPB more than in
the typical parties although it is traditional of urban events .
In both cases (MPB or traditional parties) it´s necessary to go
beyond seeing a parade or listening to a music or an explanation
of the history to understand more of the beautiful impression
that maracatu causes.
There is a project, named "Maracatus de Pernambuco",
that seems to make all the pretentions of spreading maracatu came
true. It´s a travel to the soul of the people to understand
where maracatu was born, how it maintains itself and the 
particularities of this
manifestation that the world and Brazil are discovering now,
including its past.
The origin of maracatu is African but there are some Portuguese
and Indian elements. In the past, maracatu was essentially
religious and it was danced in front of churches, sometimes in
civic holidays.. It was used to put order to slaves who came to
Brazil in 1530 by enhancing creation kings and queens protected
by the brotherhoods of Nossa Senhora do Rosário and São
Benedito. Today, it´s played in the Carnival because these
manifestations disappeared with the slavery abolition.
The maracatu can be divided in two groups: Maracatu Nação or
Maracatu de Baque Virado: it is the oldest and was born in
manifestations of Rei do Congo. It has about 30 to 50 components
like the king, queen, "porta estandarte" (the person
who holds the flag), dama do paço (who carries the doll named
calunga), caboclos de lança, etc.
The other kind of Maracatu is Maracatu Rural or Maracatu de
Orquestra or Maracatu de Trambone: They appear out of a mix of
many manifestations in Pernanbuco, especially from the sugar cane
zone. Their components are: king, queen, porta bandeira or
baliza, dama do paço, porta-buquês, baianas, caboclos, caboclos
de pena (indians), etc.