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 the historical significance of Candomblé?

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 an orixa in Candomblé?

Orixas are ancestors who have been deified. These orixas can be from recent history, perhaps only one hundred years old, or they may be over a thousand years old. Orixas are a link between the spiritual world and the world of humans. Voduns and inkices are spirit gods, essentially the same as orixas.

What are the beliefs of Candomblé?

Beliefs. Practitioners of Candomble believe in one all powerful god, Olodumare who is served by deities who visit earth and communicate with earthlings through Exu, a messenger god. These are similar to the Christian God and Catholic saints of the Portuguese colonizers.

Who founded Candomblé?

Ilê Iya Nassô
According to that tradition the terreiro called Ilê Iya Nassô, the House of Mother Nassô, popularly known as Candomblé do Engenho Velho,1 was founded sometime during the first half of the nineteenth century in downtown Salvador by an African woman who held the title of Iya Nassô, the person responsible for the cult of …

How many Orixas are there?

12 orixás
Around 12 orixás are well-developed figures in the Candomblé pantheon and recognized by most practitioners. Although usually given Yoruba names, in the Jeje nation they are instead given Fon names. The orixás are believed to mediate between humanity and Olorun.

What is Umbanda in Brazil?

Umbanda (Portuguese pronunciation: [ũˈbɐ̃dɐ]) is a syncretic Brazilian religion that blends African traditions with Roman Catholicism, Spiritism, and Indigenous American beliefs.

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 is OXUM?

Oxum is a stable, non-flammable and non-corrosive bactericidal, virucidal, fungicidal and sporocidal solution that is ready to use with no further dilution or mixing.

How do you know if your child is Oshun?

She is one of the most popular and venerated orishas. If you see the number 5 a lot (my two most recent apartments were on the 5th floor), are attracted to the color yellow or gold and enjoy sweets, specifically honey, then you too may be a child of Oshun.

Are orixas gods?

Definition. Orisha (also given as Orisa and Orishas) are supernatural entities usually referred to as deities in the Yoruba religion of West Africa, though they are actually emanations or avatars of the supreme being Olodumare.

When was Candomblé founded?

19th century
Candomblé is an oral tradition and therefore has no holy scriptures. The first official temple was founded at the beginning of the 19th century in Salvador, Bahia in Brazil.

What does the orixá symbolize?

She is the oldest orixá linked with water and is the mother of death, whom she holds in the depths of the earth. She is the protector of secrets and responsible for forming the human body. She dances in a very dignified manner, demonstrating her old age and carries an ibiri rocking it like a baby, symbolizing her relationship with the deceased.

What is Oxum the goddess of?

* Oxum is the goddess of the rivers and beauty. It is said that she is as delicate as the flow of streams among the rocks, but also as powerful as the great waterfalls. Dances to a rhythm called ijexa, looking vainly into the mirror that she holds and grooming at her riverbank.

Why did Olodumare create Orixás?

Every living being and natural phenomenon was created by Olodumare, and is therefore infused with his sacred energy, known as axe (ah-SHAY), or life-force. Because his powers and responsibilities are so vast, Olodumare does not involve himself directly in human affairs. Legend maintains that for this purpose he created the orixás.

How do you summon an orixá?

The axe of each orixá may be tapped through songs, dances, and drum rhythms particular to them. In ceremonies called batuques, toques, or festas, orixás are summoned to temporarily possess initiated devotees, although they sometimes select an uninitiated individual of their own choosing.