Left: children do religious penitence dressed as Saint Antonio. Later they will walk the 'via cruxis' during the Easter celebrations. Right: a pilgrim raises his cross high in the air in order to have the priest throw holy water on it. Bom Jesus da Lapa / Bahia state.
Most Sertanejos believe that the Good Jesus of Lapa (a local reinterpretation of Christ) is manifested in Antônio Conselheiro and other charismatic leaders of old, especially one Father Cícero. Today the Sertanejos remain ‘irredentos’ (the unredeemed) and consider the unassuming town of Canudos as hallowed ground, a place where one can hope to inch ever closer to the divine.
