CANDOMBLÉ

Candomblé: translation

Apossessionreligion originating in Brazil in the interaction of indigenous-,African-, and European-derived religious traditions. Practitioners areinitiatedby stages (often followingelectionbyother-than-human personsas revealed byillness) into secret knowledge that allows increasing access to the gods,Orixás, and the power,axé, that can be utilized to improve health, wealth, happiness, and prestige. The Orixás principally originate in West and WestCentral Africa, as did the enslaved first practitioners of the tradition, but indigenousSouth Americanand CatholicChristianelements play a role, too. When the Orixás possess their initiates, theyperformdance ceremonies withcostumesand actions that reveal their attributes. In the late 20th century, Candomblé gained increasing popularity among people of European origin, spread dramatically throughout and beyond Brazil, and became increasingly public. WhatPaul Johnsondefines assecretism(the use ofsecrecy, initiations, and revelation) is changing, as apprenticeship within specific lineages andterreiro, or “houses of worship,” become more public; this seems likely to continue in light of the importance of prestige and local variations in practice. The routinization of the tradition, however, may be illustrated in the hiving off of the martial art of Capoeira from its integral place in Candomblé.