This image looks very old, but it was taken in 1984 — it is a picture of a sacred pillar in the religious shrine, or “terreiro,” called the Ilê Axé Iyá Nassô Oká. It is the oldest shrine in Brazil of the syncretic religion Candomblé. And if you’ve never heard of Candomblé, that’s not very surprising: adherents congregate mainly in Brazil, where they number only about 170,000.
Candomblé is a fascinating religion, born out of the African slave trade to Brazil, where the captives were expected to practice the Roman Catholic teachings of their captors. But traditional African beliefs and rituals survived, ultimately blending with Catholicism by incorporating traditional saints with African spirits called “orixás”. An example is Xango, whise crown adorns the top of the pillar shown here. Xango/Shango is a deity of the Yoruba people of Africa. Every person also has her or his own orixá as a personal protector. Ritual dancing is of central importance in Candomblé, a word that translates as “dance of the gods”.
With so many ties to African religions, it might be tempting to think of the Candomblé religion as quite ancient. Like the photo here, however, that idea is an incorrect impression — the religion only extends back to the 19th century.
Brazil did not abolish slavery until 1888, and the legacy of racial oppression is one of the main reasons for the genesis of Candomblé, which cultivates African tradition distinct from the Roman Catholicism of the colonizers.
Source(s): NPR, “Brazilian believers of hidden religion step out of the shadows,” Sept 16, 2013, by Lulu Garcia-Navarro. Wikipedia. Image Orlando Ribeiro.
