CASA PAI ROGERIOCarapicuíba/SPUmbanda for beginners: where to start
Reading guide for those getting to know Umbanda: what it is, where it comes from and how this site organizes its content.
What Umbanda is
Documented historyUmbanda is a Brazilian religion that emerged in the XX century, bringing together elements of African traditions, Spiritism, popular Catholicism and Indigenous cultures. According to tradition, its landmark is 1908 in Niterói. Historiography sees it as the result of a broader process.
Belief / interpretationFor Umbanda practitioners, practice centers on charity, mediumship and relationships with Orixás and spiritual guides, such as caboclos and pretos-velhos.
How to use this site
- Start with the page History for context.
- Read Orixás and Spirits and lines.
- See the Glossary when a new term appears.
- Use the search to go directly to a topic.
Teaching of a house or traditionEach house has its own foundations. This site describes what sources say and notes when something varies. It does not replace learning within a terreiro.
One question at a time
Belief / interpretationYou do not need to understand all the vocabulary on the first reading. Choose a question: what happens in a gira, how to distinguish an Orixá from a spirit or why different traditions exist. Read the text, check the references and compare answers without turning a house's explanation into a general rule.
Belief / interpretationA good note separates what the source stated, what you understood and what you still need to ask. If two texts seem to disagree, check whether they discuss the same tradition, period and practice before choosing one.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to convert to read this content?
No. The site is informational and does not make religious invitations.
Bibliographic references
- BROWN, Diana DeG. Umbanda: religion and politics in urban Brazil. Ann Arbor: UMI Research Press, 1986.
- BARROS, Sulivan Charles. As entidades "brasileiras" da Umbanda e as faces inconfessas do Brasil. Anais do XXVII Simpósio Nacional de História (ANPUH), 2013.