What Happens at a Ceremony of Umbanda?

People come to ceremonies of Umbanda for guidance, belonging, grounding, and help in many areas of life including relationships, work, physical illness, and spiritual problems.

Nicole incorporating in Boulder, CO

Umbanda originated from enslaved people from West Africa and is a mixture of Orisha-based practices and beliefs, Indigenous methods from Brazilian groups, Spiritism from Europe, and Catholic saint and angel worship. Umbanda is firmly embedded within an animistic tradition that holds we are deeply and inseparably connected to each other, the earth, and our divine nature, which does not exist separately but flows through all of physical existence, including us.

Umbanda ceremonies are called giras, which means "turn" or "spin," a reference to the spinning many mediums undertake while incorporating their entidades (spirit guides). No two ceremonies are exactly the same. A portion of what we do is improvised, determined by the needs of those who walk through the door and by the spirits. The ceremonies do have a pattern, described below.

First we open with ritual burning of herbs and sung prayers (pontos) in Portuguese. This gives thanks, sets intentions, protections, and prepares us, the community, and the space for the work to come. The use of sacred smoke is called defumar. The opening is called abertura. Community members are welcome to sing and clap with us if they know the pontos and would like to participate.

"The sea is the mother to many children." Celebration of Yemanja in South Brazil

Next we sing down the lines of Caboclos: Yemanja, Oxossi, Xango, Ogum, Iansa, Omulu, Oxum or others. We work in the method of incorporação, best translated as "making manifest in the body," also called voluntary spirit possession here in the USA. Incorporação is an incredibly embodied and powerful way to work. The medium's body becomes a vessel for divinity to be made manifest in the physical, tangible world, making a direct impact on individuals present at the ceremony in the here-and-now. During incorporation, the community is waved forward to receive passes, energy healing. It is traditional to wear only socks or bare feet at this time. To receive a passe, stand comfortably with your hands hanging at your sides. After Caboclos, we have a short intervalo (break). Only initiated mediums may incorporate and have the permission to work with the community.

When we resume, community members may have a spoken private consult with entidades (spirit guides) in the line of Preto Velho (Old Black Slaves), Cigano (Gypsies), or Exu (The Left Line). These consults are kept confidential. If you do not understand a part of the consult, please clarify immediately as the mediums are in incorporação and may not remember afterwards.

Cyro giving baptism in Preto Velho in Curitiba, Brazil

After the consults, many things may happen: we may work with another line briefly if necessary, we may give energetic passes again, or we may eat food in celebration. We close by singing the closing pontos and hitting our heads to the earth. This marks the end of the work.

If you’d like more information on Umbanda, the Orixás, pontos, and our schedule, please explore this website. You are also welcome to follow us on Facebook. If you don't use Facebook, please join our mailing list to receive the newsletter (1-2 emails/ month). RSVP using the link on the homepage, and join us for this personalized and powerful healing experience!

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