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Beliefs
Last updated 2007-02-02

Practitioners of Candomblé believe in one all powerful God called Oludumaré who is served by lesser deities.

Deities
Practitioners of Candomblé believe in one all powerful God called
Oludumaré who is served by lesser deities. These deities are called orixas,
voduns and inkices.

Orixas are ancestors who have been deified. These orixas can be from
recent history, perhaps only one hundred years old, or they may be over a
thousand years old. Orixas are a link between the spiritual world and the
world of humans.

Voduns and inkices are spirit gods, essentially the same as orixas.
Man dressed as Xapanã, an orixa ©
Candomblé is a synthesis of three African religions, Yoruba, Fon and
Bantu, and voduns and inkices are the names preferred by the other two
sects. For the purposes of clarity, the term orixa will be used throughout the article.

Candomblé practitioners believe that every person has their own individual orixa which controls his or her destiny and acts as a
protector. Each orixa represents a certain force in nature and is associated with certain foods, colours, animals and days of the week.
A person's character or personality is strongly linked to their orixa.

Collectively, ancestor spirits are called 'Baba Egum' in Brazil. This is also known as 'Egungun' in other parts of South America.

During important ceremonies, priests and priestesses will masquerade as Baba Egum. Specially choreographed dances will be
performed in order to become possessed of each ancestor spirit.

A dance recalling the orixa Oxum bathing under a waterfall ©

Concepts of good and bad

There is no concept of good or bad in Candomblé. Each person is only required to fulfil his or her destiny to the fullest, regardless of
what that is. This is not a free ticket to do whatever you want though. Candomblé teaches that any evil you cause to people will
return to you eventually.

The Baba Egum are important in regulating the moral code of Candomblécists. It is their responsibility to make sure that moral
standards of the past are continued in the present. This is regulated during the worship ceremonies.

When a person becomes possessed of their ancestor spirit during the ceremony, they may act out scenes from the community to
highlight both good and bad actions in a sort of public tribunal.

Holy scriptures
Candomblé is an oral tradition and therefore has no holy scriptures.

Find out more

Candomblé in pictures