An Absorbing Game: The Slaughtering of Ducks and Popular Culture in the Círio de Nazaré

Abstract The article aims to analyze the practice of the slaughtering of ducks, the ritual killing of ducks for meat during the Círio de Nazaré festival, in Belém do Pará, between the mid 19th and early 20th centuries. Based on newspaper items, it was found that the slaughter of ducks was a collective game that followed a traditional format and was one of the main amusements of the Nazaré festival. What is more, it served as an important mechanism for the constitution and reinforcement of collective ties between the devout followers of Our Lady of Nazaré, and provides a better understanding of popular culture in that period.