Festa na cidade: uma leitura das Festas de Agosto de Montes Claros (MG) como intervenções no espaço urbano

Abstract

Throughout the times, traditional parties have been presented as indispensable elements for thinking about the contemporary city, being increasingly associated with proposals for the enhancement of urban spaces, as well as the morphology of places, breaking the daily rhythm and bringing new possibilities of reading of the city, from the perspective of cultural manifestations. The present study focuses on the "August Parties", traditional celebrations of popular catholicism and representations of the Congado in the city of Montes Claros (MG), with the main objective of identifying the influence that these parties exert, as temporary interventions, on the immediate transformations and long term in urban space. The study starts from an ethnographic perspective, taking into account the way in which the festivities are currently operationalized and on aspects of the city itself and its public spaces, in order to analyze the states of everyday life and rupture, from different aspects. Bibliographic review, documentary research and graphic discourse are used as tools, raising a brief history of the occurrence of these manifestations, as well as the main characteristics of the parties. Therefore, a path was traced in which, initially, the relationship between the festival and the city is discussed and, subsequently, the August Parties and the city of Montes Claros are presented and, finally, the transformation of spaces is analyzed, in material and immaterial dimensions - aspects associated with culture, memory and identity - in order to identify the legacy left by the Parties, even after their ephemeral presence.