Cabaça |
The
hollowed-out gourd attached to the bottom of the berimbau,
which functions as a resonator. It is usually the bottle gourd
(lagenaria vulgaris). The size of the cabaça
affects the sound of the berimbau (see the terms gunga,
médio, and viola).
A
cabaça e o caxixi e um pedaço de pau
A moeda e o arame, está aí um berimbau
The gourd and the caxixi, and a piece
of wood
The coin and the wire; this is a berimbau
|
Cabeçada |
A blow with
the head.
Ai
ai Aidê, faz cabeçada, aú com rolê
Ai ai Aidê, do a cabeçada
and an aú with a rolê |
Cabeceiro |
A capoeirista
who uses many blows of the head (cabeçadas).
Iê,
é cabeceiro, camará
Iê, he is a cabeceiro, comrade
|
Caboclo |
Someone
of an indigenous father and an African mother.
Pisa
caboclo, quero ver você pisar
Step, caboclo, I want to see you step
|
Cadê |
Where
is?
Adão,
Adão, cadê Salomé, Adão?
Adam, Adam, where is Salomé,
Adam?
|
Caiman |
A type
of small alligator
Onde
vai caiman? Vai pra Ilha de Maré
Where are you going, caiman? He’s
going to Maré Island
|
Cair |
To fall.
Ave
Maria, meu Deus, nunca vi casa nova cair
Hail Mary, my God, I never saw a new
house fall down
|
Cajuê |
Shortened
form of cajueiro (cashew tree).
Vou
mandar loiá – Cajuê
I’ll send someone to look –
Cashew tree
|
Calungá |
1) A
secondary deity of Bantu religion, the god of the sea and
also of cemeteries;
2) A doll carried
in processions of Maracatu (see entry for "Maracatu").
É
preto, é preto, é preto, ô calungá
Capoeira é preta, ô calungá
It’s black, it’s black,
it’s black, oh calungá
Capoeira is black, oh calungá
|
Camará |
The
shortened form of camarada, meaning comrade.
Iê,
vamos embora, camará
Let’s
go away, comrade
|
|
Camungerê |
The
origin and meaning of this term is unknown, but it appears
to be a proper name or the name of a place:
Hê
hê hê hê / Eu venci a batalha de Camungerê
Hey hey hey hey / I won the battle
of Camungerê
Como
vai, como vai? / Camungerê
/ Como vai vosmercê?
How are you, how are you?
/ Camungerê
/ How are you doing? |
Candomblé |
An Afro-Brazilian
religion that involves worship of the orixás (deities).
Ceremonies involve percussion and chanting in order to summon
the orixás to take possession of their followers;
while in trance, the followers perform dance movements that
are characteristic of the particular orixá
that inhabits their head. Wikipedia
has some more detailed information about candomblé.
Also see What is capoeira's relationship
to religion/spirituality? |
Cantar |
To sing.
Cruz
credo, Ave Maria, eu cantava e cantava e ninguém
respondia
Holy cross, Hail Mary, I sang and
sang and no one responded
|
Caxixi |
A rattle
made of woven straw, with pebbles, seeds, or small seashells
inside. It is of African origin, and is also used in candomblé.
In capoeira, the caxixi accompanies the berimbau; it is held
by the third and fourth fingers of the berimbau player’s
right hand.
A
cabaça e o caxixi e um pedaço de pau
A moeda e o arame, está aí um berimbau
The gourd and the caxixi, and a piece
of wood
The coin and the wire; this is a berimbau
|
Chamada |
Chamadas
(meaning "calls") are ritual sub-games within the
roda of capoeira angola during which one player pauses and
"invites" the player to approach. They are moments
of high tension, opportunities for the players to test their
partner’s cleverness and lure him into a trap. Read
more about chamadas here. |
Chamar |
To call.
Ai
ai ai ai, São Bento me chama
Ai ai ai ai, Saint Benedict calls
me
|
Chão |
Ground,
floor.
Bem-ti-vi
jogou gameleira no chão
The bem-ti-vi bird threw the fig tree
to the ground
|
Chorar |
To cry.
O
menino chorou, ô nhem nhem nhem
The boy cried, nyah nyah nyah
|
Chula |
The
chula, also called the louvação, means "praise."
The chula immediately follows the ladainha and consists of
single lines sung by the leader alternated with the chorus
response, which repeats the leader’s line beginning
with iê and ending with camará.
It can be as few or as many lines as the leader wants. The
lines of the chula vary depending on the message that the
leader wants to send, but the chula is usually praise or tribute
to a geographical location, a historical person or saint or
orixá, the group’s mestre/lineage of capoeira,
one or both of the players, etc. Go here
for an example. |
Chutar |
To kick. |
Cintura
desprezada |
The
cintura desprezada ("despised waist") is a series
of throws that Mestre Bimba developed and taught to his students
of capoeira regional. These throws were designed to teach
the capoeiristas how to land lightly and safely, and also
how to throw an attacker who grabbed them with a headlock.
Mestre Decânio's book The
Heritage of Mestre Bimba contains more detailed information
on the cintura desprezada. |
Cobra |
Snake.
Olha
a cobra lhe morde, Senhor São Bento
The snake bites, Lord Saint Benedict
|
Coco |
Coconut.
Vou
vender coco sinhá / Coco sinhá que vem do
Paraná
I will sell coconut / Coconut from
the state of Paraná
|
Cocorocô |
Cock-a-doodle-doo.
Iê
galo cantou / Iê cocorocô
The rooster crowed / Cock-a-doodle-doo
|
Com |
With.
Mas
não é com a mão / É com pé
que se bate
It’s not with the hand / It’s
with the foot that you hit
|
Começar |
To start,
to begin.
Vamos
começar a brincadeira, a brincadeira de capoeira
Let’s begin the playfulness,
the playfulness of capoeira
|
Comer |
To eat.
Eu
vi a cutia com coco no dente / Comendo farinha, olhando
pra gente
I saw the cutia with coconut in its
mouth / Eating flour, and looking at us
|
Como |
How.
Vai
você, vai você?
/ Dona Maria como vai você?
How are you, how are you?
/ Mrs. Maria, how are you?
|
Comprar |
To buy.
In capoeira, it may also refer to “buying the game”
– cutting into a game in progress in order to play with
one of the players.
Dona
Maria do Camboatá / Ela chama o menino e manda comprar
Mrs. Maria from Camboatá /
She calls the boy and sends him to buy things
|
Coração |
Heart.
Capoeira
de angola, ela vem do coração
Capoeira de angola comes from the
heart
|
Corda
Cordão |
Rope
or cord. In capoeira, refers to the colored cords awarded
to players in order to classify their level of graduation
in the group. See does capoeira
have a belt ranking system? |
Corrido |
Corridos
are the call-and-response songs sung when two players are
playing in the roda. As with any of the other song types,
the leader may sing traditional verses or may improvise them
in order to comment on the game or give instructions to the
players. Read more about corridos here. |
Cuidado |
Care,
caution, careful.
Jogue
comigo com muito cuidado / Com muito cuidado que estou machucado
Play with me very carefully / Very
carefully, because I’m injured
|
Cutia |
A
small, rodent-like mammal that feeds on fruit and seeds;
there are seven species native to Brazil.
Eu
vi a cutia com coco no dente / Comendo farinha, olhando
pra gente
I saw the cutia with coconut in its
mouth / Eating flour and looking at us |
