| Black
magic and ancient gods |
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"No
richer source of the African traditions exists
in
the Americas than in Brazil."
Molefi Kete Asante, Temple University |
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History
is the dominant creator of a nations culture and Brazil’s
past reveals greatness as well tyrannous acts against
it people. Out of such oppression new religions often
take root. Such was the case of Macumba
born from the racial war between white Europeans and
red and black peoples in Brazil.
1.
Name:
"Macumba"
is the "umbrella" term used for two principle
forms of African spirit worship in Brazil:
Candomble (condome-BLAY) and
Umbanda.
Q
What is the difference between Candomblé,
Umbanda, and this thing called Quimbanda?
A Candomblé
and Umbanda are the "white" magic, Quimbanda
the "black" magic of the Macumba. Candomblé
and Umbanda can be compared with catholic and Evangelist
Christianity whereby Quimbanda with the Satanism of
Christianity.
2.
Founder:
Black slaves shipped to Brazil in the
1550s brought the worship of African Gods, or Orixás,
to Brazil.
3.
Birth Place: Most
of the slaves who incorporated their religion into Brazilian
culture were from Sub-Saharan Africa.
4.
Year Founded: 1550s
5.
Sacred or Revered Text: Much
of the teachings are oral.
6.
Brief History: When the Portuguese
began shipping slaves to Brazil the country already
had an amalgamation of religions. Catholicism was desperately
trying to rid the area of the native Indian beliefs.
The slaves brought their beliefs in spirits and magic.
The two intertwined; while the slaves outwardly worshipped
under the Catholic faith, they covertly carried on their
religious beliefs until their liberation in 1888. Today
this religion is know as Macumba and is ranked as a
polytheist (many Gods) religion. Millions of Catholics
continue to worship these gods or Orixás privately
while maintaining their Catholicism publicly.
Orixás:
Orixás
worship, is common in Brazil (with an estimated 30 million
practitioners). It is know for its strikingly elaborate
and beautiful Orixás costumes, used in rituals
and celebrations.
There is a calendar celebration for all the gods, which
generally coincide with the Catholic celebrations of
Lent, Advent, Easter and the days of Saints John, Peter,
Paul, Lazarus, Cosmos and Damian, Anthony, Sebastian,
George, and All Souls' Day, and Immaculate Conception.
Curiously, nothing coincides with Christmas.
Here are just a few of those gods:
Exu
(hAY-shoe): is the messenger
to Oldumare. He must be appeased before any commemoration
can begin. He is the only god to have a indefinite amount
of locations. His main place is any street crossing.
(Dates festival: June 13)
Iemanjá
(ee-eh-mon-JAH): The best known of the Afro-gods
is the Queen of the Waters, especially the sea. Identified
with Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, she dresses
in sky-blue satin and wears a string of pearls, a tiara,
a richly decorated fan and a long white veil with gold
stars. Her statue, which is the most common artifact
of Candomblé, has alabaster skin, large breasts
and is sometimes in the form of a mermaid.
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