The challenges of the practice of blessing in the state of Rondônia, Brazil

Abstract

This article aims to discuss and demonstrate practices of blessing, of the benzer, through its practitioners, the benzedores who, in general, are people of advanced age who have the gift of curing fevers, coughs, headaches and things "simple” as the “evil eye”, the “fright”, the “breakdown” that cannot be cured by means of modern medicine. The text approaches the practice of blessing in municipalities of Rondônia, northern Brazil, where due to the abundance of herbs, medicinal plants and strong indigenous influence, there are places in the State where it is possible to find this type of vernacular medicine. The importance of studying the characteristics of this practice is related to the resistance it faces, mainly from the Christian religious wing, which perceives it as something evil, which uses prayers, sorcery, "witchcraft", such as something sinful, which leads to a distorted view of the practice of blessing. In this way, this work is a way of demonstrating that the practice of benzeção, of blessing, is nothing more than an action of love, of affection, of healing for the sacred. As a result, it appears that there are struggles to be fought, but there is also knowledge, experiences that in practice save lives and should be shared not only among benzedores/benzedeiras, but also among modern medicine. There must be collaboration, because vernacular knowledge is a complement to modern dogmatized medicine and vice versa.