Reported as dead in infancy, Pepê “resurrected” on Saint John’s Day

2023-06-22 13:35:00

58 years ago, Pedro commemorates the date and celebrates his own life in the Bath of São João de Corumbá

Andor to the Bath of St. John is built annually for the festivities. (Photo: Personal archive)

For 58 years, Pedro Paulo Miranda has been part of the celebration of the Bath of São João in Corumbá and insists on not leaving the ritual behind. Intensely involved in the festivity, Pepê says that he had been presumed dead at the age of 3 months, but on June 23, 1964, São João Batista brought him back.

“They called my whole family, the priest gave me extreme unction, performed my baptism and I had seizures and seizures again. On that day, I was presumed dead and my funeral had already begun”, says Pedro. From the memories of his mother, Dona Carlinda, the Corumba native learned that his existence is intertwined with the blessings of the saint.

Narrating what happened that day, Pepê says that he spent the first months of his life between the family home and the hospital. “He was very sick, he was hospitalized and he always came back from the hospital with several seizures. Finally, the doctor called my mother and father to say that there was nothing else to do. That was back in 1964, medicine was much scarcer”.

By accepting that her son’s life would not last, Carlinda took the baby home and understood that the wake would be close. As already explained by Pedro, on June 23, another crisis was intense and, as he narrates, his body seemed to have given up.

“I died, they changed me, they put on funeral clothes and, at that time, it was customary when someone died, to prepare the space and hold a wake on the table. So, I was there, in the middle of all those flowers”, says Pedro.

While the family was watching over the boy, floats for the bath of Saint John began to pass by the side of the house and, not knowing how to go on without her son, Dona Carlinda asked the saint for help. “The platforms were passing by and she got under one of them. She promised that if she got my life back, she would party seven years straight, all on her own account”.

After a lot of crying and requests from his mother, Pedro says that the miracle happened. “I started to move around the table, people without understanding telling my mother that I had returned. She got out from under the litter to see me and came back later, not understanding what was happening, it was like a mirage”, he says.

Since then, honoring the promise for his son’s life, the São João party has gained new members. In the beginning, everything was prepared by Carlinda, but due to the miracle and tradition, the number of people involved increased.

As Pepê explains, the idea was really to hold the party only for seven years, but the permanence became stronger. “Many people wanted to join us. Nowadays, we make the platform for our center, which is the Centro Espírita Caboclo Estrela do Norte, and when we go, we already have others going with us”.

Taking five kilometers to reach the Paraguay River, Pedro explains that the preparations involve everything from building the litters to the walk on the 23rd. .

See the testimony of Dona Carlinda:

Schedule

Starting this Thursday (22nd), the festivities will begin at 6 pm on Rua Manoel Cavassa with games, an Andores Juninos contest and shows with Rafael Souza and Banda, Junior and Luan, in addition to João Neto and Frederico.

Running until the 25th, the festivities are part of a ritual that has become historical cultural heritage. The entire event is held by the Municipality of Corumbá and has the support of the State Government through the Secretary of State for Tourism, Sports, Culture and Citizenship.

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