Illustrates Horacio Gama
Edition Felipe van Deursen
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REPORT “SUPERNATURAL RITUALS”
– voodoo doll
– Ritual of Necromancy
– Jewish golem
– Wiccan ceremony
– Islamic exorcism
– Hindu black magic
OFFERING TO THE ORIXAS
Religion – Umbanda
Emergence – 20th Century, Rio de Janeiro
Where is it most practiced? – Brazil
Practitioners – 580 thousand
– (Horace Gamma)
CORRECT TERM
Instead of “dispatch” or “delivery”, umbandistas prefer “offering”. The practice is a way to get in touch with the orixás (a kind of gods) and with the guides (entities closer to humans). In general, it serves to ask for something, thank you or maintain a connection with the spiritual world – the most famous example of this is deliveries at sea to Iemanjá.
1. CONTACT WITH NATURE
At home, the umbanda practitioner must bathe in herbs, dress in white and light a candle in that color. Then he goes to the place where the offering is to be made, which will depend on the purpose and the orixá involved. The most common are waterfalls, riversides and forests. The crossroads are only good for Exu, orixá of the paths
2. ALCOHOL AND SMOKE
For example, an offering to Oxóssi, orixá of the forests, should preferably take place during the day. Upon reaching the entrance to the grove, he kneels down and asks permission for the guardians of the place to authorize his work. There, he offers a glass of pinga, a cigar and a black candle to the orixá
3. BANQUET
The believer enters the woods slowly, concentrated and silent. When he finds a large and beautiful tree that catches his eye, he clears the space around it. With the leaves he picks up from the ground, he forms a little mat to deliver the offer. In the case of Oxossi, the offering must contain drink, tobacco and fruit.
4. COLORFUL MANDALA
The person still needs to decorate the offering. She opens the papaya, removes the seeds and pours beer on it. In addition, it combines the other cut fruits. In prayer, she arranges the candles in a circle. Then she lights the cigars, one by one, and takes three puffs towards the offering. Finally, she kneels down and rests her head on the floor.
RECYCLING
The prayer ends when the candles finish burning. So, it’s important to collect everything. Otherwise, the believer would be attacking the forest, a place preserved by the orixá to whom he dedicated it. After cleaning, it goes away quietly. Normally, this offering serves to ask for a full and healthy life.