01.08.17 - Saçi-pererê

Halloooo,

Not a lot to report here, as we reacclimatize to the weekly drudgery of no longer being on a pan-Mediterranean tour... 

On Thursday, with the football pitch lighting no closer to being fixed by its parent school, Ridaut and I went to a new open mic which is like the Garrafas one but with a beefier backing band, so I picked up the electric guitar for a change and led my colleagues on a merry jam through Superstition and Jumping Jack Flash before beating a hasty retreat home. Which was fun (and broadcast live on Facebook, apparently).

On Sunday we went to the Horto Florestal en famille, then back for a swim, to work up an appetite for pancakes ladled out by yours truly and stuffed full of delicious fillings by Gaby.  It was during this walk in the park that I was given a potted history of the nefarious characters of Brazilian folklore, which I will attempt to relay below for your edification:

• Saçi Pererê: a one-legged, pipe-smoking trickster who lives in bamboo trees and generally causes havoc in rural dwellings. Used a scapegoat for a wide variety of mishaps, and also lends his name to a home remedy - two parts cachaça and one part honey - used to treat common colds...

• Curupira: another mischievous sprite whose backward-facing feet create misleading tracks in the jungle, leading travellers to their DOOM.   The Caipora is another variant, but he tends to be more of a protector figure, and only goes after poachers and hunters who don't respect the rules of the jungle. Also partial to cigars.

• Bicho-papão / cuca: species of boogeymen used to scare Brazilian children straight in lullabies and bedtime stories, on pain of kidnapping.  The boi da cara preta ("black-faced bull") is another potential threat, celebrated in song and in traditional Northeastern bumba-meu-boi festivals, featuring pantomime costumes and general revelry...

• Yara / lara: beautiful mermaid that perches on top of water lilies in the middle of the river and lures men to a watery grave, siren-style.

• Boto-cor-de-rosa: a species of river dolphin in the Amazon, the boto is rumoured to assume the form of a dashing bachelor at night, and go around town impregnating the womenfolk. Although they are often blamed for pregnancies out of wedlock, the real-life botos don't take it personally and have been known to help fishermen and travellers in distress on the river...

• Mula sem cabeça: just the ghost of a women who slept with a priest and is therefore condemned to live out her days as a braying mule with a ball of flames for a head. Nothing to see here!

I'm sure there are plenty of colourful characters I'm missing out, but the ones above were a lot to take in all at once... And that's about it - all over bar the compilations.

Speak soon,

Fred Bull