Lucky lucky Gringos!

Lucky lucky gringos! I and seven other students got to participate (well... Witness is a better term) in an Cadomble ritual. Cadomble is a religion combining African and Christian spiritual beliefs that's home is rooted in Cachoeira. When the Portuguese began to colonize Brazil, they brought slaves over in order to produce and export native goods. Along with the spread of Christian beliefs, indigenous and African religious and cultural beliefs began to mingle. Cadombleh finds most of it's roots from a Nigerian religion called Ifa. It colonial times, it was illegal to practice Cadomble, as well as other African influenced practices such as Capoeira. It is a an amazing testament to spirituality and beauty of Cadomble that it still exists today. The punishment for practicing was 400 lashings, which ultimately was always death. Today it faces opposition from the evangelical population in Brazil, but is a powerful symbol of the beauty of both Cachoeira and Brazil's history. 
As we hiked among the back trails in the more residential area within Cachoeira, we could hear the drums echo. When we reached the house where the procession took place, we were ushered onto some seats along the walls of the house. Green leaves decorated the floor, and grass hung from beams on the ceiling. Four dancers danced in a counter-clockwise circle as three drummers and bells provided the rhythm for the dancing. Cadomble has strong ties to nature, as one could see the leaves and grass decorating the entire home. Often cats would enter and exit the door of the home sporadically throughout the procession. At one point, a humming bird even hovered above my head, watching the procession before landing in their nest dangling from the ceiling. What we witnessed was a festival for Ogum. The drums provide rhythm for the dancers to dance in response to the beat and when the Orishas feel comfortable and ready they move through some of the dancers, putting the individuals in a trance that leaves them moving and yelling to the drums that are communicating to the specific Orishas. It was unbelievable to experience such a beautiful tradition that not many outsiders get to see, especially the specific ritual an group we saw inside of Cachoeira. Man, it was unbelievable, I felt so lucky. 
After that, we got to run through the streets in celebration of Christ rising at midnight. It was another amazing experience to see all the people of Cachoeira running through the streets clapping their hands and fist pumping (in less of a Guido way) and truly being joyous. Even not sharing the same religious ties or beliefs, it was hard not to run and dance and embrace the joy of the symbolism. Cachoeira was truly an amazing experience, full of history and culture and people I will never forget. I'm here in Santo Antonio at a hotel for the night before we meet our host families tomorrow, so more stories, saved for another day.