Rio Entre encantos e assombros

In Brazil, expressions of faith, the intimacy with the sacred, and the awe of the communal rites that weave what many call religiosity have color, taste, smell, sound, rhythm, and body. Thus, there is no environment more conducive for these things to walk the streets than a good old market. The Mercadão de Madureira, also known as the “mercado da macumba,” has everything to perform a good faith: from candles to tobacco to the jogo do bicho stalls, from the Christian saint to the pagan. In fact, if there is one thing the carioca knows how to do is negotiate with saints: the intimacy with the santidades is sealed in promises—which must be paid, no one denies it, all in their own time. In the lands of the tupinambás crossed by hauntings, santidades and mystics that crossed the ocean, aspects such as game, luck, and misfortune are important cards in our deck. In this impression of mystery as a game, what much brought to the imaginary and to carioca life are the ciganos peoples, who evoke their magics and customs into the cumbuca.