3.1 Corpus Christi in 16th Century Cuban Theater
Corpus Christi is one of the traditional feasts of the Roman Catholic Church. Corpus Christi in Latin means “body of Christ.” This feast honors the presence of Christ in the sacrament of the Eucharist.
It was established in 1264 by Pope Urban IV. It is celebrated on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday, which, in turn, depends on the date of Holy Week. In some countries, it was moved to a week after Trinity Sunday in 1969.
The feast of Corpus Christi was characterized by street processions, in which guilds, merchants, magistrates, nobility, and the clergy participated. After the procession, reenactments of the Eucharistic mystery were offered in the public square, featuring members of the guilds.
Following the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century, the religious procession that took place in the streets was suspended in almost all countries of the Roman Catholic Church. Unlike the procession, the performance of plays continued, especially in England, for a time.
The Corpus Christi festival was celebrated with allegorical-religious plays.
These Corpus Christi festivities, or carriage festivals as they are also known, since they featured wagons transporting car showmen, accompanied by music, songs and dances, took place in Cuba throughout the 16th century, being one of the theatrical activities of the time and giving rise to Cuban theatre.
Corpus Christi was inherited from Spanish culture and was a collective celebration in Cuba during the 16th and 17th centuries. It was held to alleviate the community’s need for entertainment.
As in Spain, in the Cuban processions of this festival, secular elements were gradually brought together in the form of masks of fabulous characters.
Among the Corpus Christi celebrations held in the Cuban archipelago, we can mention those held in 1520, 1570, 1577, among others. These celebrations involved Black and white people, Creoles and Spaniards, engaged in a wide variety of tasks (artisans, tailors, shoemakers, blacksmiths, carpenters, and caulkers). Stage sets and costumes were used. Cuban theater finds its origins and origins in these festivities.
