Differences between Candomblé and Umbanda

The Candomblé is a monotheistic religion that believes in the existence of the soul and the afterlife.

The word “candomblé” means “dance” or “dance with atabaques” and worship the orixás, normally revered through dances, songs and offerings.

Differences between Candomblé and Umbanda

History of Candomblé in Brazil

Jorge Amado, writer, kisses the hand of Mãe Menininha do Gantois, considered the greatest saint-mother in Brazil

Candomblé is the practice of African beliefs brought to Brazil by enslaved people. Therefore, it is not an African religion, but Afro-Brazilian.

Therefore, the history of Candomblé is mixed with that of Catholicism . Forbidden to continue with their religion , slaves used the images of the saints to escape the censorship imposed by the Church. This explains the syncretism found in Candomblé in Brazil, something that is not seen in Africa.

Nowadays, however, many candomblé houses do not accept syncretism and seek to return to African origins. Likewise, in the Brazilian version, we have a mixture of orixás from various regions of the African continent.

This is due to the fact that the blacks who landed to be slaves were from various parts of Africa. Each Orixá represents a force or personification of nature and also a people or a nation

Candomblé, as a religious practice, gained clear contours in Bahia in the middle of the 18th century and was defined during the 20th century. Currently, there are millions of practitioners throughout Brazil, reaching more than 1.5% of the national population.

In order to preserve this heritage of African culture, Federal Law 6292, of December 15, 1975, made certain Candomblé terreiros a material or immaterial heritage that could be listed.

Candomblé Rituals

Aspect of a Candomblé ceremony

Candomblé rituals are, as a rule, performed through songs, dances, drum beats, offerings of vegetables, minerals, objects and, sometimes, sacrifice of some animals.

Participants must wear specific costumes with the colors and guides of their orixá, and each has their own day, color, objects and specific foods, appropriate to their ritual.

A ritual can bring together tens to hundreds of people, varying according to the size of the house that performs the duties and parties. On these occasions, there is a great concern with hygiene and food, as everything must be purified to be worthy of the orixá.

Usually, Candomblé rituals are practiced in houses, gardens or terreiros, which can be of matriarchal, patriarchal or mixed lineage. Consequently, the celebrations are led by the “father or mother of saint” or ” babalorixá ” and ” iyalorixá ” respectively.

It should be noted that the succession of these spiritual leaders is hereditary. However, there may be strife in the succession, which often ends up closing the yard.

Finally, it is worth remembering that the followers of Candomblé take seven years to complete their initiation within the stipulated precepts.

Orixás do Candomblé

Some of the Orixás worshiped in Candomblé

Orixás are entities that represent the energy and strength of nature. They play a key role in worship when they are incorporated by more experienced practitioners.

They have specific personalities, abilities, ritual preferences and natural phenomena, which give them different qualities and strengths.

The unique God of Candomblé may vary according to the African region of origin. For Ketu it is Olorum, among Bantus it is Nzambi and for Jeje it is Mawu.

There are hundreds of Orixás, however, the most worshiped in Brazil are:

Exu

Ogum

Oxóssi

Xango

Iansã

Oxum

Oba

Logum

Nanã

Obaluaê

Ossaim

Oxumaré

Iemanja

Wish

Ibeji / Erês