Parafuso

Parafusos is the name given to a group of revelers from the city of Lagarto, in the interior of Sergipe. On their heads, they wear a conical hat, framing their face painted with white clay – called tabatinga. Their bodies are covered in petticoats, like tightly draped skirts, which spin from side to side, as the reveler spins and dances.

This is the game of the screws, as immortalized by the song that always accompanies the group's performance: "Whoever wants to see the beautiful, come outside and see. Come see the screws, twisting and distorting!".

The memory of slavery

The screws, in the form of a cultural manifestation, recall an episode that marked the soul of the city and refers to the period of slavery. However, it is worth noting that there are many imprecise points in the history of this group, which is the only one of its kind in the country.

Much of what is known about the tradition comes from oral history, especially from the testimony of Benedito Puciano to the historian Adalberto Fonseca, in 1968. Son of Africans, Benedito was enslaved on the Piauí Farm and was part of the original group, later named Os Parafusos (The Screws). At the time of the interview, he claimed to be 117 years old.

Benedito recounted that, in order to escape from the farms and sugar mills to the quilombos (maroon settlements), many enslaved people began stealing the petticoats of the young mistresses who spent the night in the drying room – where they were left to whiten their clothes. It was customary at the time to wear “seven-cubit petticoats, which were very full and ornate, with lace and French trimmings that were very fashionable in the last century.” This contrasted sharply with the cotton clothing (baize and baize) worn by the enslaved people. The theft, they say, was initially intended to serve as blankets. Later, they realized another use for them.

The Black people wore several pieces of clothing, one on top of the other, around their waist and neck, leaving their hands free for action. They painted their faces white with a mixture of water and clay to, finally, reinforce the impression of being tormented souls running, spinning, and screaming. The fear of the white people helped to mask their actions.

From escape to performance

In Lagarto, some more romanticized accounts say that, with the abolition of slavery in 1888, black people invaded the town center to spin around in their petticoats in celebration. What Benedito recounts is that, after liberation, dressing in petticoats continued to be done as a form of playfulness. A playful act, but one that was also a mockery of the former masters.

According to the old reveler, it was then that the vicar of the time, José Saraiva Salomão, would have said that “the black people were spinning like screws, twisting and distorting.” He would also have been the one to gather the black people, as was already done with the praises to Saint Benedict, and convince them to exchange the shouts for the songs they sing, adding a group of musicians who accompany them with bass drums and accordions. Furthermore, he is credited with composing the most famous song ever sung, "quem quiser ver o bonito" (whoever wants to see the beautiful one), mentioned earlier.

The facts, perhaps, do not appear in the same order as narrated. The date presented as the official creation of the group is September 7, 1897. Is this really the case, or was it a date chosen for its patriotic significance? And regarding the baptizing priest, the historian Aglaé Fontes de Alencar points out that the parish priest only served until 1860, well before the abolition and the founding of the group. In Câmara Cascudo, we find mention of Jayme Griz from Pernambuco, who records the song "Whoever wants the screw / go out and come see / come see the screw / until the day is dark," sung while spinning dizzily, as a children's song. Could the song of the screws then be an adaptation of a children's song that was already circulating in popular culture?

The transformations of the folk play

The folk play undergoes a series of transformations over the years. Until the 1960s, there were 21 performers, one of whom dressed as an indigenous person, in reference to the native peoples who would have collaborated with the escape of enslaved people to the mocambos. After being reactivated, at the end of the 1970s, Parafusos came to be composed of 13 performers, already without the indigenous character.

In the 1960s, the performers wore straw hats, with an accessory that resembled a spring or spiral. In the 1980s, the attire consisted of a white outfit with five petticoats, from the neck to the feet, and raffia hats, with a red ribbon tied around it. For a long time, they danced barefoot, like the enslaved people. Later, they started dancing with a Conga shoe. Today, white sandals are used. A flag and ribbon would be added to “honor the city of Lagarto,” something abolished in the 2000s.

The Parafusos are the best-known folk dance in Lagarto, having already been registered as intangible heritage of the municipality and the state. A statue representing a participant is even part of the Largo da Gente Sergipana in Aracaju. Still, what is noticeable is the difficulty of renewal, especially due to the prejudice linked to wearing a skirt and painting one's face.