The Afro-Brazilian religious tradition that faithfully preserves the rites, language, and faith of the African peoples brought to Brazil.
The Candomblé is one of the oldest Afro-Brazilian religions, brought to Brazil by enslaved African peoples between the 16th and 19th centuries. Unlike Umbanda, which was born in Brazil, Candomblé preserves African traditions with great fidelity, especially from the Yoruba, Jeje, and Bantu peoples.
In Candomblé, rituals are performed in nagô language (yorùbá) or other African languages depending on the nation. The Orixás do not manifest directly through spirits of the dead; the filhos de santo are initiated and receive the energy of the Orixás directly in their bodies.
Candomblé terreiros are led by Babalorixás (fathers of santo) or Yalorixás (mothers of santo), who carry sacred knowledge from decades of initiation and practice.
Each nation represents a specific African tradition, with its own language, rhythms, and rituals.
Candomblé arrived in Brazil with enslaved African peoples and resisted centuries of persecution. Each nation corresponds to an African ethnic and linguistic group that preserved, on Brazilian lands, its own way of worshipping the deities. Therefore, when speaking of nation, we speak of an entire cultural heritage: the language of the chants, the rhythms of the atabaques, the names of the deities, and the order of the rituals.
Despite the differences, all nations share common principles: the worship of ancestors, the search for axé and the oral transmission of knowledge from generation to generation, from the elders to the younger ones within the terreiro.
Yorùbá People (Nigeria/Benin)
The most widespread in Brazil. The Orixás have Yorùbá names: Xangô (Shango), Oxum (Oshun), Iemanjá (Yemoja). Rituals in nagô. Cradle: Salvador-BA.
Ewe-Fon People (Dahomey/Benin)
The Orixás are called Voduns. Highlights: Mawu-Lisa, Sakpata, Dan. Strong presence in Maranhão and Bahia.
Bantu People (Angola/Congo)
The Orixás are called Inquices. Own rhythms and chants. Inkosi Mu Nzambi is the supreme God.
All the deities of the Ketu, Jeje, and Angola nations
Ritual clothing for filhos de santo and initiations
Atabaques, agogôs, xequerês, and other sacred instruments
Bead necklaces by Orixá, with the correct colors and beads
Mãe Senhora de Ewá (Yewa), Elza Bahia de Araújo, died at 104 years old in Salvador. Raised in Gantois and initiated for Ewá by Mãe Menininha in 1950, she led the Omí Ewá.
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Agogô is the iron bell that provides the guiding line of the toque in candomblé and in umbanda. See the difference for the gã, who plays, the connection with Ogum, and the origin of the name.
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Águas de Oxalá: what happens from Thursday to Dia do Pilão, why everything turns white and why the date changes from house to house in candomblé ketu and nagô.
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Extrema, Minas Gerais · South of Minas
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