A practitioner of the Afro-Brazilian religion Umbanda raises her hands while cleaning the spirit of another worshipper at a Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, temple. The religion, which is practiced by hundreds of thousands of Brazilians, celebrates its centennial this year.

Rio De Janeiro, Brazil ? Before the drums and chanting began, retired seamstress Rosa Silva Cardoso seemed to be the gentle octogenarian as she sat in a folding chair and greeted a steady stream of well-wishers in the back of the worship space she runs.

That changed when this temple of the Afro-Brazilian religion Umbanda exploded into frenetic activity. With the drums pounding out an ever more hypnotic beat, Cardoso entered a trance and, after a quick costume change, began twirling over the wood floor in a ruffled black and red dress. Onlookers said she’d been possessed by the spirit of a gypsy.

Since Umbanda began a century ago, millions of Brazilians have undergone similar possessions while practicing Brazil’s most popular folk religion in neighborhood temples.

People have embodied African gods, Brazilian folk heroes and even underworld figures as the drums and incense drove them on. They’ve also come to such temples to receive the treasured counsel that those entities are known to give.

Umbanda has been a natural fit for a country where many believe in the everyday presence of spirits and omens. What’s drawn the interest of international scholars is the religion’s unmistakably Brazilian bent, which has won it fame as the country’s only home-grown faith.

According to the religion’s folklore, Umbanda took off after a teenager near Rio de Janeiro was possessed by an indigenous spirit known as the Caboclo das Sete Encruzilhadas, or the Indian of Seven Crossroads, in 1908.

That event launched what would become a potent mix of African religions, Roman Catholicism and the teachings of 19th-century French spiritualist Allan Kardec. The religion now claims as many as 8 million devotees and more than 100,000 temples around Brazil.

KU connection

Pedro Dos Santos, a Kansas University doctoral student from Rio de Janerio, said his family has practiced Umbanda for three generations. Though he’s not personally affiliated with any religion, he attends Umbanda events when he’s home in Brazil.

He said though those who practice Umbanda have a pride over a homegrown religion, not all the country feels that way.

“The pride is clear among practitioners of Umbanda,” he said. “But I would argue that this sense of pride does not translate to all areas of society. … But while Umbanda may not be boasted by all of society, I believe that most people do accept it as a religion.”

That doesn’t mean there isn’t some tension between religions, though. Three-fourths of the country is Catholic, 15 percent Protestant and less than 1 percent are Umbandan.

“I would argue that while there is some skepticism, a great number of people believe one way or another in the ‘possession’ of spirits,” Dos Santos said. “Evangelicals in general see this possession as evil, which I think are one of the reasons why they normally clash religiously with practitioners of Umbanda and Candomble (another Brazilian religion).”

Rafael Senos Demarco, another KU doctoral student from Brazil, said the folk figures used in Umbanda are well-known, no matter a Brazilian’s religion.

And he said the religion is more widespread than most people admit.

“Although most people don’t admit to having practiced Candomble or Umbanda, they might have done it at least once,” said Demarco, who is Catholic. “Despite the prejudice against practicing the religion, it’s seen as part of our culture already, since it’s been present for a long time.”

He said the religion also represents a separation of social classes.

“There’s some prejudice between Christians and ‘macumbeiros,’ or people that practice Umbanda (or) Candomble,” he said. “Christian religions are seen as more ‘elitists’ and ‘clean,’ while Umbanda and Candomble are seen as more of a ‘hidden’ religion.”