Cachoeira celebrates 200-year-old Festa da Boa Morte tradition

The Festa da Boa Morte, a tradition spanning over 200 years, begins this Thursday in the city of Cachoeira, located in the Recôncavo Baiano region. The festivities, which run until next Monday, are celebrated exclusively by the women of the Irmandade de Nossa Senhora da Boa Morte.

The event includes masses, processions, gastronomy, and various cultural activities. Historically, the Brotherhood originated from a union of formerly enslaved women who sought to obtain manumission and facilitate the escape of others. Today, the tradition is passed down from mother to daughter.

Valmir dos Santos, administrator of the Brotherhood's cultural center, noted that while there is no written manual for the tradition, it is preserved through ancestral strength and a formal statute created in the early 21st century to safeguard the process. Cleusa Maria Santana, the current president of the brotherhood, highlighted the significance of August 15th, which celebrates the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.