Bicentenary of independence in Bahia: from celebration of the people to ‘political thermometer’

The expulsion of the Portuguese from Bahia turns 200 this Sunday, July 2; the civic parade brings together thousands of people and political leaders

One of the most emblematic and traditional dates in Bahian history, July 2 turns 200 this Sunday. The landmark celebrates the independence of Brazil in Bahia. The day the battles that started in February 1822 ended and the Portuguese troops were expelled from the state, solidifying the end of Portuguese rule in 1823.

The annual celebration in Salvador goes beyond the military ceremony and brings together thousands of inhabitants who “parade” through the streets. The civic parade is a kind of “political thermometer” for leaders who want to measure their popularity among the population. Bahia is the fourth largest constituency in the country, with 11 million voters, according to data from the Electoral Court.

This year, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) will travel to the capital of Bahia on July 2 for the second consecutive time. The president will participate in the popular procession in Largo da Soledade. In 2022, Jair Bolsonaro (PL) and also the presidential candidates Ciro Gomes (PDT) and Simon Tebet (MDB) also went to Salvador.

“The gateway to the Northeast is Bahia, not only due to the size of the electorate, but also due to the strategic position of the state. If you want to gain visibility, you must participate in important dates for the people of Bahia”, said the political scientist and founder of the research institute Quaest, Felipe Nunes. In the 2022 election, Lula was elected with 72% of the Bahian vote in the second round.

For the governor of Bahia, Jeronimo Rodriguez (PT), the president’s presence at the event is a sign that the state’s struggle “was of national importance and Brazil is recognizing it”. “Celebrating the bicentenary of Brazil’s independence in Bahia, together with President Lula and our people, will be extraordinary,” he told the Stadium. For the first time, the date will be celebrated with an indigenous governor at the head of state – indigenous and African peoples are represented in the central figures of July 2, the “Caboclo” and the “Cabocla”.

Almost ten months after the Independence of Brazil recounted in the history books, on September 7, 1822, the date is still little known outside the state. “It is not possible to say that the independence of Brazil was September 7, 1822 if there were still Portuguese troops in the country until July 2, 1823. It was not Dom Pedro I shouting on the banks of the Ipiranga River, in São Paulo. It is not It was a political agreement, there was a lot of war, many people died for Brazil to become de facto independent,” explained historian Marianna Farias. An estimated 2,000 died during the battles in Bahia.

The meeting of souls

Known as “Caretas do Mingau”, the women who lived in the small town of Saubara in the Bahian Recôncavo adopted an unusual strategy to repel the Portuguese troops who were terrorizing the local population. Specialist in the history of Bahia, Marianna Farias says that women of various ages dressed in large white dresses or sheets and went out dressed as “souls in pain”, stalking their European enemies in the dark streets at dawn.

The designation refers to porridge and other foods that Bahian women ate in pots placed above their heads. They were left in strategic places for their husbands and sons who were in battle. After 200 years, the town of 12,000 inhabitants maintains the tradition. “At dawn from 1 to 2 July the women go out like this, the tradition is passed from mother to daughter,” said Marianna.

the accidental bluff

At the most tense moment of the so-called Battle of Pirajá, a bungle secured a peculiar victory of the Bahians over the Portuguese. Historian Marianna Farias reports that, in November 1822, there was an intense siege that formed around Salvador to take the city. The troops of Bahia, therefore, wanted to retreat.

The French general Pedro Labatut, who commanded the approximately 4,000 soldiers who participated in the eight hours of fighting, recognized the difficulty and asked the bugler to ring the bell that would lead the Bahians to retreat. The bugler became confused and broadcast the sound calling for the battalion to advance with the cavalry.

“This scared the Portuguese, who thought – wrongly – that the Bahian troops would have horses and go on the attack. So, the Portuguese troops fled and we won with a ‘migué’ (Bahian expression meaning ‘deception’)”said the historian.

the parakeet

In the midst of many blue and red uniforms common at the time of the battles for independence, the Prince’s Volunteer Battalion decided to innovate. Crowded in Salvador, at the center of disputes, members wore uniforms with green collars and cuffs. To try to ridicule them, the Portuguese began calling them the “Parakeet Battalion”, in reference to their color. The commander was nicknamed “Periquitão”.

Indeed, the great bird was the grandfather of the poet Castro Alves: José Antônio da Silva Castro. Though not as famous as his nephew, he was one of the greatest heroes of July 2nd, considers historian Murilo Melo. Years later, Castro Alves wrote the poem “Ode ao Dois de Julho” as a tribute to his grandfather.

Pedrão’s battleships

In the town of Pedrão, in the sertão of Bahia, today with 7 thousand inhabitants, 39 cowboys have volunteered for the battles for the independence of Brazil in Bahia. On horseback, in leather clothes and hats, the men of the camp left their homes and families towards Cachoeira, in the Recôncavo of Bahia, under the command of Friar José Brayner. All survived. “Because the ‘Encourados do Pedrão’ were cowboys from the interior, they took advantage of their experience with horses during the war and all came back alive,” said professor and historian Rafael Dantas.

To this day, the local population is proud of the achievements of their predecessors. The inhabitants of Pedrão have been celebrating the heritage since 1993, in annual parades. Leather garments and horses are always present. However, they have stopped participating in the traditional 2 July civic procession in Salvador since 2012, following a recommendation from the Public Prosecutor of Bahia (MP-BA) who responded to protests from animal protection organizations.

Source: Terra

Rose

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