Myths, rites and symbols: the cult of Nossa Senhora das Aguas-PR

This article proposes to analyze the feast of Nossa Senhora das Aguas-PR, from the perspective of the universe of Popular Catholicism. Even though this celebration is a religious practice based on rites and symbols from other places, it presents, however, particularities that were solidified in the process of creating the saint in the region where the river Ivai meanders. Based on the theoretical assumptions of Burke (2004), Hobsbawm (1984) and Portelli (2004), we sought to understand the roots of such devotion and how the Marian sentiment was solidified in the heart of the city.