Sounds, violence and devotion: A study of the Folias de Reis in Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais

When I came into contact with the universe of the folias de reis in Juiz de Fora-MG, I was struck by reports of violent encounters between groups. These usually involved clowns: ambiguous figures who at the same time are considered representations of Herod's soldiers and protectors of the groups. At the same time, field observations, reading and the exchange of information with other researchers indicated that the research would have a lot to gain from studying the broad spectrum of sounds present there. Thus, I chose the question of violence as a constituent element of the structuring processes of the folias in Juiz de Fora and the study of sonorities as a methodological tool for the investigation as the main problems of the thesis. By studying the symbolic meanings of the sounds present in the folias' rituals, we sought to valorise their discursive power. Its examination led to important processes such as the exchange of ritual roles present in the flexibilisation of polarities. We sought a perspective that understood violence - both symbolic and concrete - as a structuring element of ritual processes.