This article approaches aspects of Pirenópolis's culture through one party annually carried out: the cavalhadas, a religious rite that integrates the traditional Holy Spirit festival. The stage of the party, Pirenópolis, is a small town in the state of Goiás, mid-west of Brazil. It is characterized by a close relation between the urban universe and the rural one. For the local population, the party represents an important socialization moment, when collective values are shared. Through the religious celebration a notion of collective belonging to a community of believers is created; moreover, some local culture elements are reinforced. Based in an ethnographic perspective, we'll analyze: the familiar dimension of the festivity process; differences about gender's way of significating the party experience; meanings involved in the cavalhada's representation.
Tradition; Ritual; Cavalhadas; Sociability; Pirenópolis