About Afro-Brazilian Religion + Beliefs
Orixas (deities) are worshiped in the Afro-Brazilian religions Candomblé, Umbanda, and in several other offshoot religions. According to Yoruba peoples (concentrated in the southwestern part of Africa), after the world was created, each orixá received a divine energy called Axé, giving the orixás the ability to govern certain aspects of the material world. Each orixá also represents different aspects of nature, both inside and outside the religious context. For example: Oxalá corresponds to the air we breathe and Oya/Iansã to the winds. Iemanjá is found in the oceans and seas; Oxum can be found in rivers and waterfalls.
The concept of Axé is an affirmation of faith in the divine power of the universe as a place where human beings can derive strength and energy from the celestial world of the orixás. In the Candomblé philosophy, axé is also defined as the power to make things happen! It is the power to invoke, to create light, or a pathway of positive energy.
A History of Carnaval
Carnival originates from ancient European Festivals in the 1500s. In Catholic tradition, it happens every year the week before Lent (6 weeks before Easter).
Carnival therefore represented a last period of feasting and celebration before the fasting period/spiritual rigors of Lent. Traditionally, a Carnival feast was the last opportunity for common people to eat well, as there was typically a food shortage at the end of the winter as stores ran out. Until spring produce was available, people were limited to the minimum necessary meals during this period.
During Lent, no parties or celebrations were held, and people refrained from eating rich foods, such as meat, dairy, fat, and sugar. Carnival can thus be regarded as a rite of passage from darkness to light, from winter to summer: a fertility celebration, the first spring festival of the new year.
*The word "Carnival" is thought to come from the Latin phrase carne levare, which translates to "to remove meat". This is a reference to the practice of abstaining from meat during Lent, a period of repentance and abstinence in which many Christians do not eat meat.
Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro
The first Rio Carnival festival was held in 1840. Today there are about 70 samba schools. They bring together people who belong to the same neighborhood. Every year, these festivities bring hundreds of thousands of people to the parade and attract millions of tourists. The date of this event is set in relation to the date of Easter.
The carnival brings together a dozen samba schools which parade one after the other according to a precise calendar and theme. For several days, starting at night, music and dance overflow the streets of Rio de Janeiro. The carnival highlights Brazilian culture the parade is also a competition, where a school is crowned the winner.
Carnaval in San Francisco
Originating in the Mission District in 1979 with a few local Latino performance troupes parading and reveling in Precita Park, Carnival has blossomed to a weekend celebration that closes off Harrison and Mission Street from 16th to 24th Streets and includes nearly 100 contingents representing the four major ethnic groups of the Americas and was attended by approximately 75,000 spectators.
Because Carnival is celebrated during Memorial Day weekend, it signals the beginning of summer. Although the scale and commercial pressures have expanded greatly, both the parade and festival still remain the rightful domain of the Mission District.
The Grand Parade features the diverse Latin American, Caribbean and African Diasporic roots of the Mission District and the San Francisco Bay Area, and is televised. The festival covers 17 blocks in the Mission District, with five main stages, 50 local performing artists, 400 vendors, international food, dancing, sampling sites and entertainment for all.