For religions of african origin, All Souls’ Day is a time to praise ancestors

Yana Lima – From Cenarium Amazon Magazine

MANAUS (AM) – The days leading up to All Souls’ Day were filled with a lot of work to renovate and make the terreiro of the Toy Badé Socio-Cultural Development Association, in Cidade Nova neighborhood, north of Manaus, ready for the Kútítɔ́nú (Ancestors’ Worship) ceremony. The site is one of the Candomblé temples in Amazonas State capital, and the ritual is an example of how important the eve and the All Souls Day are for nations of african origin, especially Candomblé and Umbanda, as they represent a moment of reunion, honor and praise for the ancestors.

Illuminated only by candlelight, the ritual began on Wednesday night, the 1st, with an evocation of the ancestors. Respect, reverence and silence are maintained throughout the night. This attitude of modesty continues until 6pm on Thursday 2. With the dawn of All Souls’ Day, the offerings are already delivered and safeguarded, awaiting the moment when they will be removed and returned to nature, where they will be transformed into compost. The cycle of life and the sustainability of nature are also part of the celebration of ancestors in african culture.

In the context of Candomblé, although All Souls’ Day is a significant period for this religion, the practice of praising and honoring ancestors is part of daily life throughout the year. The connection with the departed is constantly cultivated, demonstrating the central importance that these religious traditions give to ties with the past and reverence for ancestors.

Passing and meeting the ancestors

The general coordinator of the Amazon Network of Traditional Peoples and Communities of African Origin (Aratrama), Pai Alberto Jorge, explains that in religious traditions of African origin, death is seen as a passage to a higher plane, a meeting with the ancestors, and all those who pass away are integrated into the strength of the house and the family.

“We see death differently. For us, it is our passage to another plane, to a meeting with our ancestors. All those who die become part of the strength of the house, the strength of the family. For us, the ancestor is everything, he is the root”, he explains.

Ritual

The celebration of All Souls’ Day takes place annually on the night of November 1st, starting with the prayer called “zandro”, which means “vigil”, a ritual that takes place the day before. The service begins at dusk and can last until dawn. It involves spiritual purification, offerings and a fish-based dinner, followed by homage to the ancestors. Part of the dinner is set aside for the ancestors to join the living, and a special dish is ritualistically set out for them.

Ronald Aguiar, a babalorixá from Brasilia, explains that in afro religions there is a service called “ipadê”, which is performed before a Candomblé song. The purpose of this service is to remember and honor the ancestors, reflecting on their actions during their lifetime and singing songs in tribute to their memory.

In this context, there is no specific day set aside to remember those who have passed on, because whenever a Candomblé touch occurs, the ancestors are remembered and revered. For the babalorixá, death is a passage to the orun (heaven), a resting place where the orixás reside, awaiting their return to the ayê (earth). “Afro-religious people respect November 2 for other people who are not followers”, he explains.

Burial, cemeteries and religious intolerance

According to the babalorixá, due to intolerance, many religious people of african origin prefer to avoid visiting cemeteries on All Souls’ Day, opting instead to do so on different dates. This is done to avoid conflicts and to respect the repose of those whose bodies rest in the cemetery, demonstrating care for traditions and respect for others.

“Generally, afro-religious people avoid visiting the cemetery on this day because of religious intolerance, even within the family cradle. They prefer to visit outside the day to feel more at ease and avoid friction, respecting the rest of those where the matter (body) is”, he says.

As for cemeteries, according to the priest Pai Jorge, it is permitted and advisable to visit the graves, but this is not the central point of the cults in this religion. For him, the ideal would be for the members of each community to be buried in their own religious sites.

“But here in Brazil, this comes up against health regulations. In my case, as I am the founder of the house, the first person to be buried would have to be me, and then the others. But all this is a debate, these are theological discussions that we are having in the light of tradition”, he concludes.

Rescue

Traditional authority Bokonon Fa Asinan Dotè Gbadessi Lossossi (whose civil name is Jorge Henrique) traveled to Benin, a country located in West Africa, to collect information directly from the original sources about the rituals and thus contribute to promoting a historical revival of the cults performed in Brazil.

Candomblé is a Bantu word meaning “gathering”. According to him, the funeral ceremony is the only one in which homage is paid to the three types of ancestry (Fon, Yoruba and Bantu, referring to different regions of Africa). However, it is important to note that they have different practices, divinities, food cultures and traditions.

Jorge Henrique is initiated into the cult of the vodun (divinities of the Fon people) and has undergone two initiations in Benin. He belongs to the Hunkpame Gbade Korodje Traditional Territorial Unit in São Bernardo do Campo, São Paulo, and has played a key role in guiding this process of re-signification in Manaus.

Bokonon points out that the rescue seeks to combat the misrepresentation of these rites and re-establish the authenticity of African religious traditions, ensuring that they remain faithful to what their ancestors practiced in Africa. “Not to devalue, the ancestors were kidnapped from Africa and brought by force to this land. We must try to unify, respecting all sides”, he says.

Vodun cults have their own specificities. In Benin, the heads of families are buried inside their own homes, and these places are used to pay homage to the ancestors. Jorge explains that it is common to offer the ancestors what they liked to eat and drink.

He emphasizes the belief that initiates don’t die, but return to their origin, highlighting the spiritual continuity and connection with ancestors in African matrix traditions, both in Brazil and Africa. “For us in the African matrix tradition or endogenous cult of Benin and the traditional Yoruba cult, initiates don’t die, they just return to their origin,” he concludes.

Editing: Marcela Leiros

Review: Gustavo Gilona