Cult of the Holy Spirit

Hope (: esperança) — the faithful seek the fulfillment of religious dogma that assumes a period of human spiritual development and brotherhood, and in which the Holy Spirit is the fountain of knowledge and order;

Portuguese

Faith in the Divine (: Fé no Divino) — that the Holy Spirit is present in all places, it knows all and sees all, and the faithful recognize that there are no secrets from the Holy Spirit. Offenses are severely punitive; O Divino Espírito Santo é vingativo (English: The Holy Spirit is vengeful), and holy vows/promises to God should be kept. Seven spiritual virtues guide the brotherhood of the faithful: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord.

Portuguese

Egalitarianism — all brothers are equal, and all can be mordomos (English: leader of the brotherhood), and all may be crowned in their ritualized functions as the emperor, receiving equal respect and obedience when invested with this authority: it is the practical application of the Joachimite principles.

Solidarity and Charity — in the distribution of alms (meat, soup and milk traditionally), the poor are privileged recipients who equally take part in the celebrations, while all offenses are pardoned in order to receive the Holy Spirit.

Autonomy from the Church; the cult of the Holy Spirit is not dependent on the formal organization of the Church, nor are the clergy needed to participate in the practices; there are no intermediaries between the devotees and the Divine. Over time, in practice, this tenet of Joachimite spirituality has become more obscure, as the Church plays a role in blessing the events (through processions to the local church and masses held auspiciously for the feast)

, scepter and orb — these are most important symbols of the Império, and assumes a central place during the celebrations. The crown is an imperial design, in silver, normally with four arms that meet at a golden orb (also in silver) surmounted by the dove of the Holy Spirit. Each crown comes with a silver scepter, again, surmounted with the dove of the Holy Spirit. In addition, the crown and scepters are decorated with ribbons of white, and mounted on a silver plate with a tall rest. The size of the crown varies, and in general, each irmandade may have one large and two smaller crowns, used to represent the Império of the Holy Spirit. In addition to being used in crowning ceremonies, it is considered an honor to transport the crown or let it remain in your home, which occurs with the brotherhood routinely. Throughout the years, the crown will circulate, remaining in a place of honor in the household, where nightly prayers would occur. Although, traditionally, the process of moving the crowns from household to household involved a cortege, escorted by the brotherhood, in modern times, the movement is not as ornamented.

Crown

Flag — the pennant, of brilliant red color, is a double-side quadrangular dimension (five palms on the side), knitted with a relief of the white dove of the Holy Spirit and rays of gold and white radiating from its center. The flagstaff, made of wood, is two meters in height (although some are smaller or taller) surmounted with the dove of the Holy Spirit in tin or silver. The flag will accompany the crown and is always present in the liturgical ceremonies and crowning; it is an honor to be selected to carry the flag during the ceremonial cortege. A smaller flag is usually raised near the location of the crown, wherever it stays, and it is common to see white flags line the squares during the ceremonies.

Hymn — the Hino do Espírito Santo (English: Hymn of the Holy Spirit), composed at the end of the 19th century, is used by the bands and sung during the crowning ceremonies. Although primarily used in these ceremonies, some of its chords have been inserted into the (the regional national anthem).

Hymn of the Azores

Mace and ribbon — inspired by the carried traditionally by municipal judges or officials, the ceremony and cortège is accompanied by a variable number of mace-bearers (but usually 12). The wooded maces, usually 1.5 meters in length, sometimes include a base for a candle, or surmounted with a tin or silver dove. During the cortège the mace-bearers surround the crown-bearer, in some cases the maces are joined together to form a rectangle, and the crown-bearer walks within the space. In some irmandades an extra mace (sometimes painted in white) will be provided to an individual who will be responsible for maintaining the procession in good order. It is occasionally, referred colloquially as the "enxota porcos" (English: pig incentive), likely a reference to a time when animals roamed the streets, and had to be forced to the side of the road. The organization would normally select people who needed a position of honor: mostly young people.

ceremonial maces

Foliões do Divino — a small group of about five musicians that sing hymns, accompanied by drum, cymbal, and tambourine, who visit the homes of the brotherhood. They are also included in the transference of the crown, at the collection of donations, during the procession, the rituals and the distribution of offerings. On the island of Santa Maria as well as the area of Beira on São Jorge, the foliões are part of more complex rituals that have disappeared from other islands, involving the liturgy of the Holy Spirit.

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Falbel, Nachman (June–August 1996). "São Bento e a ordo monachorum de Joaquim de Fiore (1136-1202)". Revista (in Portuguese) (30). São Paulo, Brazil: 273–276.

Rossatto, Noeli Dutra (2004). Joaquim de Fiore: Trindade e Nova Era [Joaquim de Fiore: Trinity and the New Age] (in Portuguese). Porto Alegre, Portugal: Edipucrs.

Rossatto, Noeli Dutra; Lupi, Carlos Eduardo Bastos (2003). O simbolismo das Festas do Divino [The Symbolism of the Feasts of the Divine] (in Portuguese). Santa Maria, Azores: FACOS-UFSM.

Montez, Maria Santos (2007). (PDF) (36/1). Traditiones: 169–176. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-08-18. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)

"The Imperio in the Azores: The Five Senses in Rituals to the Holy Spirit"

Hackmann, Geraldo Luiz Borges (1998). [The Holy Spirit and Modern Theology] (in Portuguese). Teologia 12.

O espírito santo e a teologia hoje

Oliveira Martins, Francisco Ernesto de (1985), Festas Populares dos Açores (in Portuguese), Impresna Nacional/Casa da Moeda

Cult of the Lord Holy Christ of the Miracles

Carta do Secretário de Estado do Vaticano celebrando o VIII centenário da morte de Fiore.