The ritual of San Hugo Chávez
solidarity, effervescence and revolutionary reaffirmation
Keywords:
ritual, sacralization, Chávez, communitasAbstract
The article describes sacralization practices in relation to the image of Hugo Chavez, specifically the events that take place annually on March 5th, to commemorate the death of the Venezuelan ex-president, specially in a low income neighborhood in Caracas called “23 de Enero” located west of the Venezuelan capital. In this area of the city the residents built a chapel consecrated to Saint Hugo Chavez, this place became the epicenter of the sacred cult to this political leader. Based on the theoretical approach of Catherine Bell about ritualization practices, and Victor Turner´s notion communitas, the ceremony that took place in this chapel in March 2018 is analyzed based on ethnographic research. In this recent event its participants deny the death of this political leader, and they refer to “the sowing of the eternal and supreme commander”, which means that according to the practitioners the deep roots continue to consolidate the Bolivarian Revolution. Later on I examine how this celebration on March 5th is, at the same time, political and religious. From the cult perspective, the belief that Chavez is a superhuman figure reaffirmed the experience that he operates in the world of the living as a human figure that is remembered for his political actions as a chief of state.
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