Ele desceu lá do céu, na bandeira assentou: o catolicismo popular e a devoção a São Sebastião em Leopoldo de Bulhões e Silvânia, Goiás

Abstract

This research tries to understand the structure, composition and dimension of Catholic religious manifestations dedicated to São Sebastião in the bordering municipalities, Leopoldo de Bulhões and Silvânia, both located in the state of Goiás. Within this territory a more specific territorial cut was made, delimiting the Capelinha do Mato Grande community (Leopoldo de Bulhões - GO) and the Posse region (Silvânia - GO) as research fields; a participatory observation survey for the collection of data from 2017 to 2019 was carried out on a continuous basis, and the research was endorsed with literature review and documentary analysis of the marriage, baptism and fall books of Our Lord’s Bonfim (Silvânia – GO). From the triangulation of the data it was understood that, although Romanization tried to regulate the liturgical worship to the oracle in the delimited territorial cut, this did not happen, due to the resistance of the peasants who still today maintain their traditions and ritual gestures tied to popular Catholicism. In the same proportion, it was understood that devotion to São Sebastião is ensured and maintained because of affective ties, memory, family tradition, but owes its endorsement to the fear of the Goiás of war (Paraguayan War, First and Second World War) and pestilences that affect human life.