Festejos em São Bartolomeu: festa da goiaba e festa do padroeiro do distrito

ABSTRACT: São Bartolomeu is an important district of Ouro Preto, a touristic city in Minas Gerais, and it is recognized for its long tradition of producing artisanal sweets that has lasted for more than two centuries. In addition to the production of sweets, the district draws attention for its crafts, natural beauty, creative tourism, colonial architecture, and festive events that are held throughout the year. Festa da Goiaba (Guava Festival), Festa do Padroeiro (Patron Saint's Festival) and Encontro de Tradições Culinárias (Encounter of Culinary Traditions) were the objects of study in this work, and the three celebrations were evaluated in relation to their respective limits and potential and their importance as disseminators of local gastronomy. An extensive analysis of documents and various other materials relating to São Bartolomeu’s festivities was carried out, as well as on-site visits during the events in the form of participant observation as a way of achieving the proposed objectives. Despite being held at different times, with different focuses and organizations, the three festivities have in common gastronomy as an important aspect and these festivities deserve attention and safeguard actions as they have great cultural, symbolic, and economic importance for the community.