What is macumba?

Gira no Congá

Umbanda ceremony begins with smoking and ends with disincorporation of mediums

1. To enter the congá – where Umbanda ceremonies take place –, the public must take off their shoes in respect for the ground, which is sacred. The ceremony, called the gira, begins at night, around 8 pm, and when the faithful arrive, the mediums are already there, including the priest.

two. The preparation of the congá, the place where the entities are incorporated, begins with smoking: herbs such as rosemary are burned in a brazier. The ritual, which purifies and transmits energy, is accompanied by a sung point – all songs are called points in umbanda

3. Then the priest gives a theme for reflection for the day, as the priest does at a Catholic mass. There is also an opening prayer, opening points (which salute Umbanda), chants to the regent orixá (each orixá has its own day of the week) and the presentation of the line of work for the day.

4. The next step is the greeting to the guardians (Exu) and guardians (the female version). At that moment, everyone turns towards the trunk, the “altar” of Exu, outside the congá. The faithful salute, revere and ask for protection from the guardians who protect the temple

5. The beat of the atabaques begins and the Calling Points are chanted, chants that invoke the line of work of the day. The priest is the first to incorporate the orixá and, after having received his entity, he will command the works, leading the incorporation of the mediums

6. Each medium incorporates only one entity (between orixás and humans, such as Preto Velho and Caboclo), but the same entity can be repeated – it is possible to have dozens of Preto Velhos in the same terreiro. After everyone has incorporated, public service takes place

7. At the end of the service, the point of ascent is chanted, a song that lulls the disembodiment of the mediums. Then a final closing prayer is said, and the tour ends for that night.

dispatch at the crossroads

Dispatches at intersections gained the reputation of “macumba” because they are one of the most visible expressions of these religions outside the temples. But, in fact, they are offerings to the orisha Exu, usually asking for protection. They are placed at crossroads because these places represent the passage between two worlds. There are indeed orders made to harm others (more so in candomblé, where there is no distinction between good and evil, unlike umbanda), but none of the religions encourages this practice.

umbanda apprentice

Understand how an ordinary person can become a medium and incorporate entities

1. Anyone interested in being more than an umbanda observer can go to the tour and wait for the incorporated entity to identify him. The entity points out the person’s «vocation»: incorporation medium, ogã (who plays the instruments) or a cambone (medium assistants)

two. Those who will become mediums attend mediumistic development tours, initiation sessions closed to the public, in which the ogans sing songs calling the spiritual entity. The beginner meditates on the vibrations of the day and performs herbal baths and offerings to the orixá

3. When the beginner begins to incorporate, he enters the “firmness phase”, in which, incorporated, he draws symbols on the ground, lights candles and talks with the priest about his way of working

4. Now the beginner can already apply “energy passes” on clothes and objects and magnetize water. Then, he can apply the passes to children and, finally, he is inserted into the hotline of public tours. In general, initiation ends after a few months.

Party in Ilê

Candomblé ceremony has animal sacrifice, farofa and even cachaça

1. The procedures begin in the afternoon, with the dispatch of Exu, closed to the public. Two animals are sacrificed (a bird or a four-legged animal, such as a goat, for Exu and another for the honored orixá of the day). The blood of the animals is poured over the settlement (i.e., the “altar”) of the orixá, as an offering.

two. The members gather in a circle in the shed, known as ilê, where there is also a bowl with farofa with dendê, beans or yam and a glass of water or cachaça. There are chants and prayers and a santo de santo takes part of the food outside the shed as an offering. The door is baptized with drink, since Exu is the god of crossings.

3. At the end of the afternoon, the ringing begins, the public ceremony. To the sound of atabaques, the xirê songs are sung, which honor the orixás. The sons of saint enter the circle, one by one, in order – the son of Ogun is always the first. Incorporations begin. The sons of saint tremble, a sign that the entity has been incorporated

4. The first to incorporate is always the honored orixá. The son or daughter who incorporated the orixá takes charge of the party, dancing and healing the sick. They are aided by the equedes (helpers). Gradually, the other orishas also incorporate

5. At a sign from the babalorixá (pai de santo), the children retire to a room where they dress in the costumes of their respective orixás. Each orixá has an outfit that differs in color and accessories, such as Ogum’s sword. When they return, already as deities, everyone stands up to receive them.

6. The orixás also return in order, with the exception of the night’s honoree, who enters first. When everyone has entered, each incorporated orixá dances alone to a song played just for him, using the entire area of ​​the shed. One at a time, all the orixás do their dance

7. To the sound of the instruments, the orixá sits down and begins the service, blessing and touching those present, in addition to giving passes. Around midnight, the atabaques play the songs of Oxalá, ending the party. Once this is done, parts of the sacrificed animals are served in a dinner made in the shed.

The big family

Meet the most worshiped orixás in the terreiros

I hope

He is the orixá of creation and “chief” of all orixás in candomblé

Ogun

Orisha who manipulates and forges metals to make his weapons

Obaluaiê

Associated with death and the passage to the spiritual plane

Oxumaré

It is the orixá of cycles, movements and the rainbow

oxum

Female orixá, she is the patroness of fresh waters – rivers, lakes and waterfalls

nanã

The oldest of the orixás protects the swamps and the rains

Exu

Protector of the paths between the material and spiritual worlds

Ochosi

The orixá of hunting, abundance and wealth, is the lord of the forest

Oçaim

Orisha of sacred leaves and medicinal herbs

Xango

It represents fire, thunder and justice. It has a manly look

Iansã

Orisha of winds and storms, is a passionate entity

Yemanja

The orixá of the seas and oceans. She is the mother of some orixás

candomblé apprentice

Understand how an ordinary person can become a santo de santo

1. During a party, the person “balls in the saint”, having tremors that indicate that he must be initiated in candomblé. The abiã (beginner) usually wears white

two. The bori is the ceremony in which the beginner makes offerings to the orixá. He also sacrifices birds, such as pigeons, and is later marked with the animals’ blood.

3. For 21 days, the beginner retires to a room called snoring. There, he learns dances, prayers, myths and details about his orixá. He doesn’t drink alcohol and doesn’t talk

4. The gathering ends with the sacrifice of a quadruped animal. At the end, there is a party called orô, in which the abiãs greet those present, then dance and finally embody their orixá in public.

The Orchestra of Orisha

Deities are summoned with percussion instruments

The instruments played by the ogãs are mainly atabaques, types of drums that dictate the rhythm of the dance. Other widely used instruments are the agogô, which features two metallic funnels, played with an iron rod, and the xequerê, which is a gourd seed surrounded by a mesh net with beads, played as if it were a rattle. The macumba instrument, which gave its name to the cult, which is rarely used today, is similar to a reco-reco.