Candombl Religion - Research Paper Example

?Candomble Religion Overview Candomble, also known as Animism, is a religion that is centered in Brazil, but is practiced in many countries throughout the world, generating more than two million followers. Candomble is based on African beliefs, many of which were brought over orally during the transportation of slaves, including African Priests, through the Brazil slave trade. The religion is founded on the soul of Nature, but also displays elements of African mythology and culture. The popularity of Candomble is due to the combination of many religions into one, making it agreeable to a variety of potential followers and one of the most sough-out religions in Africa and Europe. Syncretism When a religion is considered to be syncretistic, it means that it is a combination of two or more religions or cultures, pulling beliefs, stories, and, oftentimes, deities from other religions. Candomble is a combination of three main African religions, Yoruba, Fon, and Bantu. Muslim traditions have also been incorporated, though these were more common during the slave trade in Brazil. The only Muslim tradition that is still observed in Candomble is believing, and thus practicing, the use of Friday as the only day worthy of worshipping deities, praying, and meditating. Many local Native American deities were also used in rituals, though this practice did not last long due to the Catholic Church looking down upon such practices, thus not allowing their slaves to implement them into their practices. Catholicism is yet another religion whose beliefs and practices have been adopted by the Candomble religion. This was due to the fact that “many Christian slave owners and Church leaders felt it was important to convert the enslaved Africans. This was in order to fulfill their religious obligations [...] (“History of Candomble).” A connection was found between the worshipping of saints in Catholicism and the worshipping of ancestor deities in Candomble, so the Candomble practitioners secretly combined their deities with the saints of Catholicism. Deities and Beliefs Candomble is a polytheistic religion, recognizing and worshipping more than one god. They believe in an all-powerful God, Oludumare, and the lesser deities that serve him. These lesser deities are known as orixas, voduns, and inkices. Orixas are ancestors that, upon death, become viewed and treated as gods. They each represent a specific force in nature and a certain food, animal, or color. Voduns and inkices are spirit gods, similar to orixas; the three lesser deities share the duty of acting as a connection between the spiritual world and the human world, passing along messages or searching for cures to illnesses. The greatest difference between orixas and voduns and inkices is that it is believed that every human being has their own orixa, whose duty it is to control the destiny of that person, as well as to protect them (Voeks 57). It is also a belief of Candomble practitioners that a person’s personality and defining characteristics are dependent on that person’s orixa. Candomble maintains a belief similar to that of karma, which is more common in Buddhism and Hinduism. Karma is the belief that a person’s actions in the present will influence or have an effect on their lives in the future or in another life. Candomble holds that there are no concepts of good and evil. Each person has the task of fulfilling their destiny in whatever way they need to, regardless of what that destiny is. However, if a person succumbs to evil to fulfill their destiny, their actions will come back to them, essentially returning their evil. This belief prevents people from doing anything that they want, allowing them to understand that their are consequences to their actions. The Candomble have a variety of moral codes that they most follow, though these tend to change from generation to generation. It is the job of the Baba Egum to regulate and update the moral responsibilities of their people. The Baba Egum are in charge of making sure that the essential moral codes from the past, such as not killing or stealing, are still upheld in the present day (Johnson 42). To ensure that these moral codes remain to be upheld, worship ceremonies are undergone, during which people are possessed by their orixas and act out scenes that show good and bad actions that have been displayed by the community. These ceremonies become similar to courtrooms as those participating in the ceremony can see the acts committed and are allowed to respond to them accordingly, making known was is acceptable behavior and what behaviors must be met with certain consequences. Rituals The basic structure of the Candomble ritual contains two parts. The first part is the preparation, which only involves the priests and initiates and usually takes place approximately a week before the ritual, and they prepare for the ceremony (Capone 99). They clean and ready the required costumes for the ceremony, and they decorate the house and prepare the food for the banquet. Any animals that are required for the ceremony are tended to, whether they need to be clean, slaughtered, or prepared for sacrifice. The second part of the ritual is the public banquet, where all of the Candomble practitioners are allowed to attend and take part in. During this part of the ceremony, priests call upon Orixas and fall into trance-like states. These in-trance Orixas perform symbolic dances that represent various characteristics of the present Orixas. The leading male priest engages the ceremonial observers in songs that commemorates the good deeds of the spirits. At the end of the dancing and the singing, a large feast closes the ceremony, which often lasts well past midnight and into the young hours of the next morning. One of the most important aspects of a Candomble ritual is the music. The music used in these rituals have originated from African music, with a strong focus on drums, gongs, and flutes. The music used in the ritual not only helps to keep the ritual upbeat and the observers alert and aware of what was going on, but the music also helps to call upon and keep the Orixas in their places in the bodies of the priests. The music also often played a role in the storytelling, aiding the interpretation of the dancing priests. Priesthood The priests of Candomble are structured into symbolic families, even though many of these people are not related to each other by blood. The head of each of these families is often a woman; during slavery, the men were too busy tending to the chores handed to them by their masters, so the women were put in charge. Thus, women were often priestesses. There were still many houses that preferred to have a priest, though this was considered to be rare. For one to become a priest or priestess, it first must be approved by the Orixas, who would determine if that person had the required qualities to for priesthood. Works Cited "Candomble: History." BBC. N.p., 15 Sept. 2009. Web. 28 Mar. 2011. . Capone, Stefania. Durham: Duke University Press, 2010. Print. Johnson, Paul Christopher. Oxford: New York, 2002. Print. Voeks, Robert A. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1997. Print. 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