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What is Umbanda in Brazil?
Umbanda (Portuguese pronunciation: [ũˈbɐ̃dɐ]) is a syncretic Afro-Brazilian religion that blends African traditions with Roman Catholicism, Spiritism, and Indigenous American beliefs. Since then, Umbanda has spread across mainly southern Brazil and neighboring countries like Argentina and Uruguay.
What are the deities in Candomblé called?
Deities. Practitioners of Candomblé believe in one all powerful God called Oludumaré who is served by lesser deities. These deities are called orixas, voduns and inkices. Orixas are ancestors who have been deified.
Is Candomble a Santeria?
Candomblé — like its cousin Santeria practiced in Cuba — is a synchretic religion, meaning that many of the orixas are also represented by Catholic saints and it has absorbed many Catholic practices.
What is the historical significance of Candomble?
Candomblé practitioners often concealed the sacred symbols of their deities inside their corresponding Catholic saints. In the segregated communities of America, it was easy to create Catholic religious fraternities where black people would meet with each other.
What is a Terreiro?
Terreiros consists of a series of rooms, some off-limits to non-initiates. They contain an altar to the deities, a space to perform ceremonies, and accommodation for the priests or priestesses. The floor is deemed sacred, consecrated to the tutelary orixá of the house.
What does Macumba mean in Portuguese?
The term “macumba” became common in some parts of Brazil and it is used by most people as a pejorative meaning “black witchcraft”.
Do Brazilians practice voodoo?
It now swarms with a population of 1.2 million, 70 percent black or mulatto, and it is the center of a vibrant Afro‐Brazilian cult called Candomblé, a form of voodoo. Certainly, Brazil’s most authentic African religion, the Candomble of Bahia, exerts a powerful influence on the lives of many Bahianos today.
Who is ESHU?
Eshu, also spelled Eschu, also called Elegba, trickster god of the Yoruba of Nigeria, an essentially protective, benevolent spirit who serves Ifa, the chief god, as a messenger between heaven and earth.
Who founded the religion of Candomble?
The first Candomble temple was founding at the start of the 19th century in Salvador, Bahia by Iya Nasso, half Nigerian, half Brazilian. The sacred space is carefully observed by the followers of the Candomble.
What role does nature play in Candomble?
Nature is perhaps the single most important factor in Candomblé, and each Orixá is connected to an element. Then they can be “incorporated” by Orixás — and initiates have individual Orixás they must follow.