Lumildes de Oliveira Abreu was born in Pirenópolis and has always lived there. “All my family are from around here, since 1800. Since I was a child I’ve been involved in the local folkloric festivals and I’ve always made things. I used to work with clay, paint and sewing, but 22 years ago I began to dedicate myself to creating ornaments and banners for the Cavalhada and Divino festivals, typical of Pirenópolis.”
She explains that the images are based on traditional stories. “For example, this Divino (an image of the Holy Ghost as a dove) we call The Body Of Christ because it’s embroided by hand, in the style of the knights’ capes. We use chitão (a simple local fabric with bright colours) because the folkloric characters dressed in it. The red with golden flowers come from the Moors. The Divino festival is related to the harvest, so we also use seeds and leaves, paint mixed with earth, and so on.”
Helping Lumildes is Marta Elisa de Oliveira Lobo, who assembles dolls and other characters using discarded materials. “It’s a solution that unites something useful with something pleasant and makes people happy because what used to be rubbish ends up decorating the festivals.” |
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HOLY GHOST
Paper, fabric, ribbon and embroidery. Around 20 cm wide |
