A brotherhood is a group of people who come together with a common goal.
In order to know the term brotherhood in depth, we have to proceed, first of all, to discover its etymological origin. In this case, it must be stated that it is a word that derives from Latin since it is the result of the sum of these two clearly delimited elements:
-The prefix co- , which can be translated as “jointly” or “union”.
-The verb frater , which is synonymous with “fraternal”.
A group made up of several individuals with a specific objective is called a brotherhood . The concept can refer to different types of groups: congregations , guilds , brotherhoods , etc.
Brotherhood in religion
In the field of religion , the group created through the union of devotees for the development of works of charity and activities linked to the devotion is called a brotherhood. These brotherhoods arise with the endorsement of the corresponding religious authorities.
There are different types of brotherhoods according to their purpose. The brotherhoods of Gloria are focused on the cult of an invocation, while the sacramental brotherhoods are oriented to the Blessed Sacrament . The penitential brotherhoods , for their part, perform penance during Holy Week . It is common for brotherhoods to carry out processions.
In religion, a brotherhood is a group of devotees who carry out charitable and devotion-related activities.
The term beyond religion
Beyond the religious environment, there are brotherhoods that are formed with institutional or union objectives. In the Middle Ages , for example, theatrical activity was regulated through brotherhoods founded by bishops or monarchs. There were brotherhoods in Spain , France and other countries .
A historic brotherhood was the group created by the German composer Robert Schumann (1810-1856): the Brotherhood of David . This entity sought the expression of the aesthetic considerations of Schumann and his followers, even through a magazine .
Brotherhood in colloquial language
In colloquial language, also, different groups of people who meet with different motivations are usually known as brotherhoods.
University brotherhoods are groups of students, often secret in nature, that have initiation rites. There may also be artistic, intellectual and social brotherhoods, among others.
The concept in cinema and literature
In addition to everything indicated, we cannot ignore the existence of a film that has the word in question in its title. We are referring to the comedy “Mi Querida Cofradía” , which premiered in 2018 under the direction of Marta Díaz and with actors of the stature of Gloria Muñoz , Pepa Aniorte , Juan Gea and Carmen Flores in the cast.
The protagonist is none other than Carmen , a woman who for three decades has dedicated herself to the brotherhood of her town. Therefore, her dream is to become her older sister, but she is going to have a difficult time because she is still “ruled” by men. Hence Ignacio was finally chosen as the elder brother. This man that Carmen accidentally left unconscious.
What the woman will do is hide it in her house, but everything will become complicated when her daughter, after having argued with her husband, decides to return to her mother.
In the field of literature, finally, we find many works with the term in question, such as “The Brotherhood of the Invincible Armada” by Emilio Luis Lara López .