History of Umbanda: origins, 1908 and institutionalization

Documented timeline and traditional narratives about the formation of Umbanda in Brazil.

Before Umbanda

Documented historyIn Brazil during the XIX and XX centuries, African-rooted practices, Kardecist Spiritism and popular Catholicism coexisted, especially in cities. Historiography sees Umbanda as the result of this encounter.

Documented historyYvonne Maggie studied how police and medical repression of "witchcraft" marked Afro-Brazilian religions in this period (Medo do feitiço).

1908 and Zélio's narrative

Traditional narrativeTradition recounts that on November 15, 1908, in Niterói, the young Zélio Fernandino de Moraes received Caboclo das Sete Encruzilhadas, who announced a new form of worship. See the dedicated page.

Documented historyIn 2012, Law 12.644 established National Umbanda Day on November 15.

Organization and debate

Documented historyThe Primeiro Congresso do Espiritismo de Umbanda took place in Rio de Janeiro in 1941, a document cited in the references. Diana Brown analyzed Umbanda as a religion with political and social influence in her 1986 study.

Documented historyIBGE's 2010 Census records the number of people who identified as Umbanda practitioners; consult the official source for the data.

An institution's memory and the religion's history

Traditional narrativeAn origin narrative places the manifestation of Caboclo das Sete Encruzilhadas on November 15, 1908, and the creation of the tenda the following day. This account is central to the institution's memory. Identifying its authorship allows the tradition to be respected without treating it as the only explanation of the formation of all Umbandas.

Documented historyIts site presents a recording collection and reports an interview of Zélio by Lília Ribeiro in 1961. These descriptions help locate later testimonies; their existence alone does not prove every detail narrated about 1908. The page Zélio and religious memory explains this distinction.

Bibliographic references

BROWN, Diana DeG. Umbanda: religion and politics in urban Brazil. Ann Arbor: UMI Research Press, 1986.
MAGGIE, Yvonne. Medo do feitiço: relações entre magia e poder no Brasil. Rio de Janeiro: Arquivo Nacional, 1992.

Continue exploring

TraditionsDifferences and points of contact between Umbanda, Candomblé, Quimbanda, Tambor de Mina and other traditions.Global contextYoruba and Jeje-Fon roots, Santería in Cuba, vodum in the Caribbean and the presence of African traditions in the Americas.Caboclos and caboclasLine of spiritual work associated with Indigenous ancestry and the forest, with diverse interpretations among houses.BeginnersReading guide for those getting to know Umbanda: what it is, where it comes from and how this site organizes its content.