Amid the Epiphany tradition, Folia de Reis groups in Rio's Morro da Formiga gain new life through social media and modern adaptations. The Tijuca community preserves the biblical custom with contemporary twists, drawing massive online views. Leaders highlight cultural resilience despite religious challenges.
Epiphany, celebrated on January 6, 2026, is marked with fervor in Morro da Formiga, Tijuca, northern Rio de Janeiro. This community of 2,763 residents, per the 2022 IBGE Slum Census, hosts four Folia groups, more than in other capital neighborhoods. Unlike areas where the tradition has waned, it thrives here with innovations.
Marcos Antonio Lopes, 28, master of Brilhante Estrela de Belém, explains: "In Morro da Formiga, everyone is born rooting for a soccer team and a Folia de Reis group." He likens the groups to local soccer clubs and says the Folia has become a form of resistance. "I recently visited a house in a distant neighborhood where no Folia had passed in 80 years. We've become resistance," he states.
Adaptations include clowns with funk-inspired dances and visual elements like neon lights on drums and costumes, enabling nighttime performances. In 2023, Brilhante Estrela de Belém featured in rapper Marcelo D2's video for "Povo de Fé," highlighting popular beliefs. On social media, videos of processions and home visits garner hundreds of thousands of views, helping clarify what Folia is: not a block party or casual gathering, but the journey of the three wise men — Melchior, Gaspar, and Baltazar — seeking the child Jesus, with recited verses and drum rhythms.
Funding comes from an annual state government grant, which in 2026 allocated R$25,000 to 200 groups, totaling R$5 million. Despite reports of "ghost groups" forming only for the grant, the support is crucial. Children join the "folia da lata velha," banging cans and metal scraps, inspiring new generations like Lopes's.
Religious resistance persists, however. Lopes, a former evangelical church member, faced family and peer opposition. Carlos Daniel Medeiros, 56, a cultural producer, notes that clowns, with colorful masks, face prejudice for blending African, indigenous, and pagan elements. "There's an 'exusístico' side, of Exu, that permeates the clown. It's the sacred and profane parading in harmony," he says, underscoring community dialogue in the favela.
