THE IEMANJÁ CELEBRATION IN FORTALEZA THROUGH SENSORY ETHNOGRAPHY: PERCEPTIONS ABOUT SACRED SYNESTHESIA

Abstract

This study examines the Iemanjá Celebration in Fortaleza as an expression of Afro-Indigenous culture and religion using sensory ethnography, using the approach of anthropologist Paul Stoller.. The annual Iemanjá celebrations in the Cearense city take place on the 14th and 15th of August, gathering both on the beaches and on the grounds of umbandas and candomblé practitioners who adore the divinity associated with the sea. According to researcher Jean dos Anjos, Mãe Julia Barbosa Condante, a black woman of Portuguese descent, initiated the honors in Praia do Futuro in the 1960s. Since then, the celebration has undergone significant changes, incorporating new meanings and practices. The current study is the outcome of a field visit to a festival in 2024, where we used a sensory ethnography approach to better understand the festival by its visuals, colors, flavors, tattoos, and sounds. The study highlights the intricate rituals of the festival, including sonorous, olfactory, visual, and gustatory elements, as well as tensions such as the iconography of the orixá.