What
is capoeira’s relationship to religion or spirituality?
Capoeiristas
are not required to practice a certain religion or any religion
at all.
Capoeira
is very loosely connected to candomblé (an African religion)
and Catholicism: references to both Catholic saints and orixás
– the deities of candomblé – appear in capoeira
songs. Why candomblé and Catholicism? Well, the African
creators of the art brought their religion with them to Brazil.
They were forced by the European slave masters to adopt Catholic
practices; however, they used Catholicism as a façade behind
which to practice their own religion. For example, each orixá
of candomblé was associated with a Catholic saint, so that
a slave could say a prayer to the Virgin Mary but in reality be
praying to Iemanjá.
Partial list
of orixá-saint correspondences:
Oxalá
(supreme father and creator of the world) – Jesus
Iemanjá (goddess
of the sea and mother of other orixás) – the Virgin
Mary
Oxóssi (hunter
god) – Saint George and Saint Sebastian
Xangô (king,
god of thunder and justice) – Saint Peter, Saint John the
Baptist, Saint Francis of Assisi
Oxumaré (god
of duality, movement, perpetual renovation) – Saint Bartholomew
Ogum (explorer of
paths) – Saint Anthony
Nanã (old
goddess, co-creator of the world) – Saint Anna, mother of
Mary
Iansã (warrior
goddess) – Saint Barbara
Obá (goddess
of suffering) – Saint Catherine, Saint Joan of Arc, Saint
Martha
Obaluaiê (god
of life, death, sickness, health) – Saint Lazarus
Ibeji (twin gods
representing dualities) - Saints Cosme and Damien
Source: Cultos
Afro-Brasileiros
Examples
of songs with religious references:
Santa
Maria mãe de Deus
Cheguei na igreja e me confessei |
Saint
Mary mother of God
I arrived in the church and confessed |
Santo
Antônio é protetor
Da barquinha de Noê |
Saint
Anthony is the protector
Of Noah's little ark |
Para
roda capoeira, vai ter que parar
Eu não paro de jeito nenhum
Sou filho de Oxum de pai Oxalá |
Stop
the capoeira roda, it will have to stop
There's
no way I'll stop
I'm a son of Oxum and Oxalá |
Iê
Quando chego no terreiro
Quando chego no terreiro
Trato logo de louvar
Louvo a Deus primeiramente
Louvo meu pai Oxalá
Também louvo o pai Xangô
E a rainha do mar
Peço licença Deus de Angola
Me dê o salão prá eu vadiar
Camará
|
Iê
When I arrive in the terreiro
When I arrive in the terreiro
I soon praise
I praise God first
I praise my father Oxalá
I also praise father Xangô
And the queen of the sea
I ask permission from the God of Angola
Give me space to play
Camará |
