Feast of São Francisco das Chagas de Canindé, Ceará, in the context of the Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

In this article, we aim to describe the Sa?o Francisco das Chagas de Caninde? festivity under the impacts of the Covid-19 Pandemic. We performed participant observation with logbook records during ethnographic incursions in the Sanctuary-Basilica of Caninde?. We search to explain how the festive atmosphere manifested itself in the experiences of the devotees. In 2020, we observed: the families who visited the sanctuary; the mourning of the dead of Covid-19; the prayers for the end of the pandemic; the silence in the sanctuary; and, the organization of the city. In 2021, we highlighted: the devotees experiences of feeling the festive atmosphere in the collective manifestation of devotion; the promises and ex-vows that represented the cures of Covid-19; and, the organization of the city. These situations point out how the festivity brings together experiences of devotion and fun, as it allows the devotees to encounter with the saint, with themselves and with others, constituting an element that gives meaning to their lives.