VOODOISM IN BRAZIL c 2011 jOJO

It is interesting to note that although at one point the African and Brazilian coastlines were connected, the original native inhabitants of Brazil were Indians, not blacks. The blacks were brought over as slaves by the Portuguese to man their cotton and sugar cane plantations. These slaves brought over their tribal customs, traditions and voodoo with them. I don’t know if you are aware of this or not, but voodooism is practiced avidly in Brazil. I know many a respected businessman who wouldn’t make a business decision without having first consulted his “macumbeira” (female priestess) or “Pai do Terreiro” (if it was a man).

There are basically two forms of voodooism in Brazil – Macumba (black magic) and Candomble (white magic, – it’s pronounced with the emphasis on the last e). If you want to put a hex on anyone, you go to a Macumbeira. She usually asks for something personal of your intended victim, fingernail clippings, hair from her hairbrush, cast off clothing, and once you’ve crossed her palms with silver (reais these days) she’ll produce a hex for you. Frankly, hexes terrify the recipient and are taken very seriously. Even dear old late Dad, an Anglican Priest, had a hearty respect for them.

Candomble on the other hand, is a ritual whereby practitioners invite spirits to take possession of their bodies for a limited time, of course. I once went to an Candomble ritual, out of curiosity.

We sat in a huge circular tent with four or five tiers of crude wooden seats all around. All the activity happened in the middle of this huge arena.

The Voodoo Priest, and his parishioners were all dressed in white (this is traditional) and there was a bank of about a dozen drummers seated behind them. Initially, they beat the drums softly. The Priest chanted a whole lot of African voodoo stuff, while his parishioners danced all around him. Then he sacrificed a chicken (chickens figure largely in their religion) and then a ceremonial cup was passed around the audience, from which we all dutifully took a sip, trying hard not to think whose lips had rested on it before! Yep, I took a sip – I wasn’t about to offend ANY African God thanks very much!

Gradually the rhythm on the drums grew louder, and the dancing on the floor more frenzied. Louder and faster, louder and faster – OMG, I got goosebumps and shivers up and down my spine! The atmosphere in that tent was in a word – unbelievable, overwhelming in fact!

Then one by one, the practitioners got possessed by spirits. This manifested itself in really fascinating ways. The person whose body had been possessed took on characteristics of the spirit possessing them! A man started acting like a woman, and a woman became a child, lying on the ground sucking her thumb! Others started shouting and waving their fists, or laughing hysterically. It was totally fascinating and the energy in that tent was absolutely electrifying. The Priest hovered over them, making sure they didn’t hurt themselves, all the while chanting and dancing.

Gradually the drums began to beat more softy and slowly, and finally Priest brought the practitioners out of their trances. Then we all got up and went home!

You might ask why the followers of Candomble invite spirits to take over their bodies. They believe themselves to have been blessed by the spirit for having allowed this, and that special favours will be granted to them, in gratitude. They believe they receive special protection in their day to day lives, from these spirits.

The biggest of celebrations of both Macumba and Candomble takes place every New Year’s Eve, on every beach in Rio de Janeiro. It’s quite a tourist attraction. Each group (called a “terreiro”) occupy their portion of the beach, along with their priests and priestesses. They are all dressed in white, and it’s an amazing sight to see them dancing on the sand, going to the edge of the ocean and tossing in garlands of flowers in homage to Yemanja – their Queen of the Sea. The air is alive with the seductive throbbing beat of hundreds of drums.

I defy anyone to witness one of these rituals and come away from it thinking “Well that was kind of nice, wasn’t it?” It makes the hair on the back of your head stand up on end, believe me!