Almanaque Lunário Perpétuo: permanência e releituras na cultura popular

Abstract

“Lunário Perpétuo” is an almanac produced at the 16th century by the Spaniard Jerónimo Cortés (ca. 1560-ca. 1615). Widely reprinted, it circulated throughout Spain, Portugal and Brazil, where it became popular, influencing scholars, folklorists, artists and popular culture for centuries. It is part of the tradition of popular almanacs, containing knowledge and wisdom related to various topics, such as astrology, meteorology, astronomy, calendars, health, religion, agriculture, proverbs and well-being advice. The objective is to understand the ways in which Lunário has achieved documentary and informational permanence in Brazilian culture through its retellings and appropriations by different actors. Conceptually, almanacs are studied as documents, cultural objects and infocommunicational devices of written popular culture. Methodologically, two procedures are carried out: a) thematic analysis of a corpus of copies of Lunário, in order to identify its structure and recurring themes; b) analysis of its retellings by the Unidos do Porto da Pedra Samba School at the Rio de Janeiro Carnival, whose 2024 theme was “Lunário Perpétuo: the prophetic of popular knowledge”. The results present elements that point to a way of being of Lunário, which has sustained its retellings by writers and artists such as Ariano Suassuna and Antonio Nóbrega and its inspiration for popular artists through the sense of celebration, symbol of strength and resistance of popular culture. Concludes that Lunário is a document and infocommunicational device that continues to be present in the collective imagination and in Brazilian popular culture, and highlights the lasting relevance of written popular communication.