If there exists a city that if is proud of its popular culture is Jequitib. It will not be very to say that the repertoire of the jequitibaense popular culture represents the biggest wealth of the city. In few regions of the state of Minas Gerais as many manifestations could be found cultural that they had demonstrated the diversity of the Brazilian social environment. In entorno of the headquarters of the city of Jequitib the towns, with relatively independent life, develop intense and varied practical cultural activities related religious and the aspects that evidence a complex net of social organization. Much is said regarding the denomination of Jequitib as ‘ ‘ Mining capital of the Folclore’ ‘ , but little it is said of the reasons that had taken the city to receive this heading.
As jequitibaense I decided to investigate and to deepen more on the sprouting of the idea of choice of the Mining Capital of the Folklore of Minas Gerais, that time occurred to the choice, that aspects had been considered in the election, if had the participation of other cities and which the forms of manifestations of this folklore. The term folk-lore was created by the English antiqurio, William John Thoms, who was born in 1803 and died in 1885. In 22 of August of 1846, William, using the pseudonym of Ambrose Merton, publishes an article with the Folk-lore heading, in the magazine The Athenaeum, of London. It considered the term, as expression appropriate technique to the study of legends, traditions and of popular literature, having this definition the meaning of ‘ ‘ the wisdom of povo’ ‘. William John Thoms, as was antiqurio, it associated the folklore to the popular antiguidades, and this association remained, under many forms, in diverse concepts of the folklore. Folk wants to say people, nation family; Lore means instruction, knowledge, to know, therefore, Folk-lore or Folclore wants to say science or popular wisdom.