Afro-Brazilian Traditions
Candomblé, Umbanda, Quimbanda and Batuque are distinct religions, formed at different moments and in different historical contexts in Brazil, which share African roots but have their own cosmologies, practices and pantheons — they are not the same thing under different names, and there is often tension among practitioners over their boundaries.
- CandombléThe Afro-Brazilian religion that preserves worship of the Orixás.
- UmbandaThe Brazilian religion blending Orixás, caboclos, pretos-velhos, and Spiritism.
- QuimbandaThe Afro-Brazilian tradition centered on the veneration of Exus and Pombagiras.
- BatuqueThe Yoruba-rooted Afro-Brazilian religion consolidated in Rio Grande do Sul.
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Frequently asked questions
- Do all of these religions worship the Orixás?
- Candomblé and Batuque worship the Orixás directly, inherited from Yoruba tradition. Umbanda worships Orixás combined with the spirits of caboclos and pretos-velhos. Quimbanda, historically, is centered on Exus and Pombagiras, not the Orixás — an important structural difference among the four traditions.