Umbanda: what it is, origin, beliefs, entities and Brazilian spiritual tradition

Umbanda is an Afro-Brazilian religion that originated in Brazil, formed by the fusion of African traditions, Spiritism, popular Catholicism, Indigenous knowledge, and mediumistic practices. Its worship is primarily centered in terreiros (Umbanda temples), where mediums work with spiritual entities, guides, and forces associated with the orixás (deities).

Unlike other Afro-Brazilian religions, Umbanda does not have a single form of practice or a central authority that defines all its rituals. Each house, terreiro, or lineage may have different foundations, chants, rules, entities, and ways of working. Therefore, to understand it correctly, it is important to see it as a living, pluralistic tradition, deeply marked by Brazilian spiritual diversity.

Appearance	umbanda
Origin	Brazil, especially in the urban context of the early 20th century.
Type of tradition	Afro-Brazilian, mediumistic, spiritualist and syncretic religion.
superior divine figure	God, Olorum, Zambi or other names depending on the house and spiritual lineage.
Main forces	Orixás, spiritual entities, guides, ancestors, and lines of work.
Prominent entities	Caboclos, Pretos Velhos, Crianças, Exus, Pombagiras, Boiadeiros, Marinheiros, Baianos, Malandros and Ciganos.
Cult place	Terreiro, center, store or house of Umbanda.
Common practices	Tours, mediumistic incorporation, sung points, riscado points, passes, baths, fumigations, cleansings and spiritual consultations.
key difference	His practice focuses heavily on working with spiritual entities and guides, not just on the worship of the orixás.

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What is Umbanda?

Umbanda is a Brazilian religion that works with communication between the spiritual and material worlds through mediumship. In its rituals, mediums can channel spiritual entities that guide, cleanse, advise, heal, and help those who come to the terreiro (temple).

Their religious universe combines elements from diverse origins. From African religions, they retain the presence of the orixás, the relationship with nature, chants, offerings, the use of herbs, and spiritual work with ancestral forces. From Kardecist Spiritism, they take ideas such as the evolution of the spirit, reincarnation, charity, and communication with disembodied entities. From popular Catholicism, they receive prayers, saints, images, and devotional practices. They also incorporate indigenous traditions, especially those of the Caboclos and the ritual use of plants, smoke, prayers, and cleansings.

Therefore, Umbanda should not be understood as a simple, disordered mixture of religions. It is a tradition with its own language, ritual organization, specific entities, internal hierarchies, codes of respect, and a strong orientation toward spiritual guidance.

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Main guides on Umbanda

To better understand this tradition, it's helpful to study its main themes separately. Umbanda has a broad foundation: history, orixás, entities, giras, terreiros, spiritual practices, and lines of work. From this page, you can access specific guides for each topic.

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Origin and history of Umbanda

The origin of Umbanda is one of the most debated topics both within and outside the religion. For a significant part of Umbanda's collective memory, the symbolic birth of Umbanda is placed between November 15th and 16th, 1908, when the young Zélio Fernandino de Moraes is said to have incorporated Caboclo das Sete Encruzilhadas into a spiritist context.

According to this traditional account, that entity defended the spiritual legitimacy of the spirits of Black people, Indigenous people, and humble people who were rejected in certain spiritualist circles for being considered backward or inferior. From that moment on, a new form of worship was announced, guided by charity, mediumship, and free spiritual guidance.

However, many historical studies understand this episode not as an absolute birth, but as a symbolic milestone within a broader process. Before 1908, practices of possession, urban macumba, Afro-Brazilian cults, popular spiritism, prayers, healing, the use of herbs, devotion to saints, and forms of spiritual communication already existed in Brazil. From this perspective, Umbanda would not have appeared out of nowhere, but rather would have slowly crystallized from diverse traditions that were reorganized in urban Brazil at the beginning of the 20th century.

This double reading is important: for the Umbanda faith, the story of Zélio and the Caboclo das Sete Encruzilhadas has enormous spiritual and identity value; for the history of religions, Umbanda must also be understood as part of broader social processes, marked by the African diaspora, the abolition of slavery, the Brazilian republic, spiritism, religious racism and the search for public legitimacy of Afro-Brazilian cults.

Period	historical process
16th-19th centuries	Formation of Afro-Atlantic, Indigenous and Popular Catholic Practices in Brazil.
Late nineteenth century	Expansion of urban cults, spiritualism, macumbas and new forms of popular religiosity.
1908	Founding date in Umbandist religious memory, linked to Zélio de Moraes and the Caboclo das Sete Encruzilhadas.
20-40 Years	Greater organization of shops, centers, publications, congresses and legitimizing speeches.
Later decades	National expansion, diversification of lines and development of whiter, crossed, Africanized or popular Umbandas.
News	Growing social recognition, presence in Brazil and the diaspora, but also persistence of prejudice and religious intolerance.

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What does Umbanda believe in?

Umbanda is generally considered a monotheistic religion, although its ways of referring to God can vary. In many houses, Olorun is mentioned, in others Zambi, or simply God. Below this supreme force are the orixás, understood as spiritual powers, divine emanations, or forces associated with nature and the sacred order.

Umbanda also believes in the existence of spirits that can act as guides. These guides are not all the same, nor do they all fulfill the same function. Some guide with serenity, others cleanse dense energies, others open paths, others protect, and others teach through advice, prayers, chanted points, or spiritual works.

In many Umbanda traditions, the idea of ​​the evolution of the spirit is also present. The soul is not understood as something static, but as a reality in process, capable of learning, repairing, transforming, and advancing through charity, service, spiritual discipline, and the correction of conduct.

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Spiritual principles of Umbanda

Although each terreiro may have its own specific foundations, there are principles that are frequently repeated within Umbanda. Among them are charity, respect for guides, mediumistic responsibility, the search for spiritual balance, the cleansing of dense energies, and attention to those seeking guidance.

• Charity as a spiritual service and help to those who need guidance.
• Mediumship as a bridge between the spiritual world and the material world.
• The evolution of the spirit through learning, discipline, and correction of behavior.
• Respect for the orixás as superior forces linked to the sacred order.
• Working with spiritual entities as guides, protectors, and mentors.
• The ritual use of songs, herbs, candles, prayers and cleansings according to the foundation of each house.
• The autonomy of each terreiro, with its own rules and forms of practice.

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Orishas in Umbanda

The Orishas in Umbanda They are superior spiritual forces related to nature, divine law, the elements, justice, motherhood, spiritual warfare, love, rivers, the sea, thunder, winds, illness, healing, and transformation.

Among the best-known orishas in Umbanda are Oxalá, Ogum, Xangô, Oxóssi, Iemanjá, Oxum, Iansã, Nanã, Omulú, Obaluaê, and Ibeji. Their names may remind one of the orishas of Afro-Cuban Santería or the deities of Candomblé, but in Umbanda they are interpreted within a unique Brazilian and spiritual context.

Therefore, although many names and symbols share a common African root, it's inaccurate to say that Xangô is exactly the same as Shangó in Santería, or that Iemanjá is identical to Yemayá in all their forms of worship. Each tradition develops its own foundations, rites, chants, syncretisms, and ways of understanding these forces.

Orisha	Spiritual realm frequently found in Umbanda
Oxalá	Faith, peace, spiritual elevation, whiteness, creation, and harmony.
Ogum	Paths, defense, spiritual warfare, iron, work and protection.
Xangô	Justice, spiritual law, balance, stone, thunder, and truth.
Oxossi	Forest, knowledge, hunting, herbs, sustenance and connection with nature.
Oxum	Rivers, love, fertility, sweetness, beauty, prosperity, and emotional harmony.
Iemanjá	Sea, motherhood, protection, cleansing, spaciousness and spiritual care.
Iansã	Winds, storms, movement, courage and transformation.
Omulú / Obaluaê	Disease, cure, transmutation, cemetery, mystery and deep healing.
Nana	Old age, primordial clay, still waters, memory and ancient wisdom.
Ibeji	Childhood, joy, renewal, purity and energy of children.

Umbanda Entities

The entities of Umbanda are spiritual guides who work during rituals, possessions, consultations, and cleansings. They should not be confused with the orixás. While the orixás represent superior forces or divine emanations, the entities usually manifest as working spirits grouped in lines and phalanxes.

These entities can present themselves with very defined symbolic forms: Caboclos, Pretos Velhos, Crianças, Exus, Pombagiras, Boiadeiros, Marinheiros, Baianos, Malandros, Ciganos and other lines. Each one has its own language, characteristic gestures, songs, ways of advising and particular ways of acting within the terreiro.

One of the most important features of Umbanda is precisely this closeness to the entities. In many houses, those who attend a ritual seek the advice of a Preto Velho, the strength of a Caboclo, a cleansing with Exu, guidance from a Pombagira, or spiritual help through passes, prayers, baths, and cleansing rituals.

Entity or line	Frequent spiritual function
Caboclos	Strength, nature, firmness, protection, herbs, cleansing and direct guidance.
Pretos Velhos	Wisdom, humility, counsel, patience, healing, prayer, and spiritual listening.
Children or Erês	Joy, purity, renewal, sweetness, emotional cleansing and openness of heart.
Exus	Paths, protection, limits, movement, spiritual defense and cutting off negative charges.
Pombagiras	Feminine strength, desire, dignity, relationships, protection, words, and emotional justice.
Boiadeiros	Steadfastness, spiritual guidance, work, heavy cleaning, and mastery of difficult forces.
Sailors	Movement, water, discharge, fluidity, travel, cleansing, and emotional adaptation.
Bahians	Joy, folk wisdom, resilience, practical spiritual work, and good humor.
Thugs	Street, cunning, protection, popular justice, survival and difficult paths.
Gypsies	Intuition, freedom, paths, prosperity, love, movement and spiritual reading.

To learn more about this topic, you can read the complete guide on the Umbanda Entities.

Pomba Gira in Umbanda

Pomba Gira is one of the best-known entities within the Umbanda and Quimbanda universe. She is often associated with feminine strength, desire, the spoken word, the streets, roads, protection, emotional justice, and the ability to confront issues such as self-esteem, dignity, betrayal, passion, and human relationships.

From the outside, Pomba Gira has often been reduced to sensuality, scandal, or love magic. However, within her spiritual context, her figure is much broader: she can work with cleansing harmful relationships, defending vulnerable people, opening paths, providing clarity in the face of deception, and recovering personal power.

It is important to clarify that Pomba Gira is not an orixá. In Umbanda, it is understood as an entity, lineage, or set of spiritual phalanxes with multiple names and paths, such as Maria Padilha, Pomba Gira Cigana, Pomba Gira das Sete Encruzilhadas, Maria Mulambo, and other manifestations.

Read also: Pomba Gira: who she is, meaning, types and how she is understood in Umbanda.

Maria Padilha and Maria Mulambo

Within the Pomba Gira pantheon, Maria Padilha and Maria Mulambo are two well-known names. Maria Padilha is often associated with words, feminine power, desire, paths, emotional justice, and mastery of difficult situations. Maria Mulambo, on the other hand, is associated with transformation, restored dignity, cleansing harmful ties, and spiritual strength after a fall or rejection.

Both figures should be understood within the context of the working entities, not as orixás or as mere characters of love magic. Their spiritual role depends on the lineage, the terreiro, and the foundation of each house.

Read also: Maria Padilha in Umbanda y Maria Mulambo in Umbanda.

Exu in Umbanda

In Umbanda, Exu is an entity of movement, protection, spiritual communication, paths, and boundaries. His figure has been greatly misinterpreted by outsiders who have associated him with the devil or malevolent forces. Within Umbanda, Exu fulfills the role of guardian, executor of spiritual law, and worker of the transitional zones between the visible and the invisible.

The Exus are often associated with crossroads, streets, tree trunks, fire, smoke, boundaries, demands, spiritual breaks, and the protection of the terreiro (spiritual home). They are not simply chaotic forces. In many houses, they are considered necessary guardians for maintaining order in spiritual work.

It is also important to distinguish Exu in Umbanda from Eshu in the Yoruba tradition and Eleguá in Afro-Cuban Santería. Although symbolic relationships exist between them due to their connection with paths, communication, and crossroads, they belong to different religious contexts.

Read also: Exu in Umbanda: who he is, his spiritual function and how he differs from Eshu and Eleguá.

Crianças, Ciganos, Marinheiros and Boiadeiros

In addition to the more well-known traditions, Umbanda works with many entities that express different forms of spiritual help. KidsThe Erês, also called Erês in some houses, are associated with joy, purity, sweetness, and emotional renewal. Gypsies They are often linked to intuition, paths, prosperity, freedom, and spiritual reading.

The Sailors They work with the movement of water, release, adaptation, and emotional cleansing. BoiadeirosInstead, they usually manifest themselves with a firm energy, linked to work, spiritual guidance, heavy cleaning, and the mastery of difficult forces.

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What is an Umbanda tour

The Umbanda ritual is a spiritual gathering held at the terreiro (temple). During the ritual, rituals are chanted, prayers are recited, the mediumistic current is prepared, and spiritual entities may manifest to guide, cleanse, advise, and work spiritually.

Not all tours are the same. Some are dedicated to Caboclos, others to Pretos Velhos, Crianças, Exus, Pombagiras, Marinheiros, Boiadeiros, Baianos, or Malandros. Each line has its own songs, gestures, symbols, ways of speaking, and methods.

In many houses, the gira follows a ritual order: preparation of the space, opening, chanting, formation of the current, incorporation, spiritual attention, and closing. However, each terreiro maintains its own foundation, so there is no single universal way to perform a gira.

Tour moment	Spiritual function
Space preparation	Cleaning the terreiro, organizing the altar, candles, flowers, herbs and ritual elements.
Opening	Prayers, chanted points and preparation of the spiritual current.
Starting date	Manifestation of entities through mediums prepared for the work.
Spiritual care	Consultations, passes, advice, cleansings, blessings, prayers and guidance.
Closing	Gratitude, farewell to the entities and closing of the ritual field.

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What is an Umbanda terreiro

The terreiro of Umbanda is the ritual space where tours, consultations, cleansings, chants, spiritual strengthenings, and other spiritual work are performed. It may also be called a center, tent, house, or temple of Umbanda, depending on the region and tradition.

The terreiro is not just a physical place. It is a consecrated space where a spiritual community is organized, mediums are trained, the orixás are honored, work is done with entities, and those seeking guidance are attended to. Within the terreiro, there are rules of respect, hierarchies, responsibilities, schedules, principles, and forms of conduct.

Since there is no single central authority for all of Umbanda, each terreiro (temple) is autonomous. Some use drums, palms, and dances; others follow a more silent or spiritualist approach. Some work with Exus and Pombagiras in specific sessions; others limit or separate that work. This variety should not be seen as a contradiction, but rather as part of Umbanda's internal plurality.

Sung points, darted points, candles and herbs

The chanted points are ritual chants that help to organize the journey, call upon the entities, raise the vibration, sustain the possession, and mark the different stages of the spiritual work. They are not simply songs: they function as a sacred language, ritual memory, and a tool for connection between mediums, entities, and the community.

The drawn dots are symbols traced by spiritual entities or leaders, often with pemba (a type of clay), and can represent spiritual signatures, protection, identification of a lineage, or a foundation for work. Not all terreiros (religious temples) use them in the same way, and their interpretation depends on the tradition of the house.

Candles, herbs, spiritual baths, fumigations, and cleansings are also important parts of many Umbanda practices. Herbs can be used in amaci (ritual cleansings), baths, fumigations, cleansings, prayers, and spiritual treatments indicated by trained entities or leaders.

In Umbanda, these elements are not understood merely as material objects. Each color, plant, song, symbol, or ritual place can have a specific vibration and a relationship with a particular lineage, orixá, or entity.

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Most popular practices of Umbanda

Umbanda practices vary greatly from house to house, but there are elements that are common to many terreiros (temples). These practices are geared towards spiritual cleansing, protection, guidance, harmonizing the individual, and addressing everyday problems from a religious and mediumistic perspective.

• Spiritual tours to work with a specific line of entities.
• Spiritual consultations with spirit guides provided by trained mediums.
• Spiritual passes for cleansing, balancing, and energy strengthening.
• Herbal baths indicated for cleansing, protection or harmonization.
• Smudging with smoke, herbs, resins or ritual preparations.
• Points sung to open, sustain and close spiritual works.
• Dots used as a signature, protection, or foundation of an entity.
• Firmness with candles, elements and prayers according to the orientation of the house.
• Cleansing works to cut spiritual burdens or dense energies.
• Offerings made according to the spiritual line, the orixá or the corresponding entity.

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Types or lines of Umbanda

There is no single Umbanda. Over time, different forms of practice have developed, some closer to Spiritism, others more popular, others more Africanized, and others more intertwined with elements of Candomblé, Quimbanda, or other Afro-Brazilian traditions.

Type or line	General characteristics
Umbanda branca	It usually emphasizes charity, spiritualist morality, mediumship, and a practice closer to spiritualism.
Popular Umbanda	It integrates devotions, entities, saints, songs, herbs, consultations, and ritual forms that vary according to the region.
Umbanda Cruzada	It can combine fundamentals of Umbanda with elements from other Afro-Brazilian traditions.
Africanized Umbanda	It gives greater weight to the orixás, to the African root and to certain Afro-religious foundations.
Esoteric Umbanda	He interprets religion through more abstract symbolic, energetic, initiatory or spiritualist keys.

These classifications are not always rigid. A house can have elements from several lineages at the same time, and often the names change depending on the region, the spiritual leader, and the history of the terreiro.

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Difference between Umbanda, Santería, Candomblé and Quimbanda

Umbanda is often confused with other Afro-American religions, especially Santería, Candomblé, and Quimbanda. Although there are points of contact, each tradition has its own history, language, foundations, and practices.

Santería, or Regla de Osha, developed primarily in Cuba, with strong Yoruba and Afro-Cuban roots. Its focus is on the orishas, ​​initiation, the diloggún (cowrie shell divination), ebós (offerings), the saints, and the ceremonies specific to Osha.

Candomblé is an Afro-Brazilian religion centered on the worship of orixás, voduns, or nkisis, depending on the region. It has a highly structured liturgy, a strong connection to the terreiro lineages, and a more direct presence of African deities.

Umbanda, although also Brazilian, is characterized by integrating orixás (spiritual entities), mediumship, spiritism, indigenous elements, and popular Catholicism. Its ritual life is often strongly marked by the incorporation of guides such as Caboclos. Pretos Velhos, Crianças, Exus and Pombagiras.

Quimbanda, for its part, is especially associated with the work of Exus and Pombagiras, although its boundaries with Umbanda may vary depending on the house, region, and spiritual lineage.

Thrilling Tradition That Captivates All	main focus	Context
umbanda	Orixás, spiritual entities, guides, mediumship, charity, and spiritual work.	Brazil.
Santería / Rule of Osha	Orishas, ​​initiation, diloggún, ebó, saints and Afro-Cuban tradition.	Cuba and the Afro-Cuban diaspora.
candomblé	Afro-Brazilian worship of orixás, voduns or nkisis depending on the religious nation.	Brazil.
Quimbanda	Spiritual work with Exus, Pombagiras, paths, defense and forces of movement.	Brazil.
Kardecist Spiritism	Communication with spirits, reincarnation, spiritual evolution, and moral doctrine.	France and strong expansion in Brazil.

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Umbanda and Spiritism

The relationship between Umbanda and Spiritism is very important, especially because of the influence of Kardecism on the idea of ​​spiritual evolution, reincarnation, charity, and communication with disembodied entities.

However, Umbanda is not simply Kardecist Spiritism with Afro-Brazilian elements. Its practice incorporates chants, spiritual lines, orixás, herbs, points, terreiros, entities such as Caboclos and Pretos Velhos, and a ritual experience that clearly distinguishes it from traditional Spiritist centers.

While Kardecist Spiritism usually presents a more discursive, rationalized and doctrinal mediumship, Umbanda develops a corporeal, ritual, sung, symbolic mediumship that is deeply linked to the terreiro community.

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Umbanda and popular Catholicism

Popular Catholicism also plays an important role in many Umbanda houses. Images of saints, prayers, candles, vows, festivals, and syncretism are all part of a long religious history in Brazil and other Latin American countries.

In some lines, Oxalá can be related to Jesus or Senhor do Bonfim; Ogum with Saint George; Xangô with Saint Jerome or Saint John; Iemanjá with Marian invocations; Oxum with Nossa Senhora Aparecida or Nossa Senhora da Conceição; and Ibeji with San Cosme and San Damian.

These associations should not be understood as absolute equivalences. Syncretism does not mean that an orixá is "the same" as a Catholic saint, but rather that, in certain historical and ritual contexts, symbolic relationships were established between the two figures.

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Is Umbanda black magic?

No. Reducing Umbanda to black magic is one of the most common forms of religious prejudice. Umbanda is a religion with ethics, community, hierarchy, spiritual practices, entities, orixás, and a strong emphasis on helping others.

As with many religious traditions, there are different practices, lineages, houses, and ways of working. Some may be more spiritualist, others more African-influenced, others more popular, and still others closer to Quimbanda. But that doesn't justify portraying Umbanda as something demonic or dangerous.

Much of the rejection of Umbanda and other religions of African origin is related to religious racism, the misunderstanding of their symbols, and the historical demonization of Afro-Brazilian practices.

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Umbanda today

Today, Umbanda is present in Brazil and in various parts of the diaspora. It has also expanded to countries such as Argentina, Uruguay, Portugal, Spain, and other places where Afro-Brazilian religions have found new audiences, communities, and ways of adapting.

In Brazil, Umbanda has legal recognition and commemorative dates, such as National Umbanda Day. However, its terreiros (temple temples) and practitioners still face prejudice, discrimination, religious attacks, and stigma associated with ignorance about religions of African origin.

The contemporary situation of Umbanda reveals two realities simultaneously: on the one hand, greater visibility, recognition, and expansion; on the other, persistent religious intolerance. Therefore, speaking about Umbanda with respect and precision is also a way to combat misinformation.

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Practices and topics related to Umbanda

In addition to its main entities, Umbanda includes a wide variety of practices and ritual elements that can be studied separately. Some of the most important topics are:

• Umbanda chanted points: ritual chants used to open, sustain, and close spiritual works.
• Points drawn: spiritual symbols drawn in certain practices and lines.
• Spiritual baths: cleansings with herbs and elements prepared according to spiritual need.
• Defumación: cleansing with smoke, resins, herbs or ritual preparations.
• Firmnesses: spiritual support works carried out with candles, elements and foundations of the house.
• Tronqueira: a space of firmness and protection related to Exu in many Umbanda houses.
• Congá: altar or sacred space where images, candles and spiritual elements are arranged.
• Spiritual consultations: guidance offered by entities during a tour or mediumistic attention.

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Frequently Asked Questions about Umbanda

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Final summary

Umbanda is a complex, diverse, and deeply spiritual Afro-Brazilian religion. Its richness lies in the relationship between orixás, entities, mediums, terreiros, chants, herbs, cleansings, charity, and spiritual guidance.

To understand it, it's necessary to avoid oversimplification. Umbanda is not Santería, it's not Candomblé, it's not pure Spiritism, and it's not black magic. It has elements in common with several traditions, but it possesses its own identity, its own history, and its own ritual forms.

Its practical focus is on spiritual work with guides such as Caboclos, Pretos Velhos, Crianças, Exus, Pombagiras and other entities that act for the benefit of those seeking help, cleansing, advice, protection and balance.

Therefore, studying Umbanda requires respect, precision, and openness to its plurality. There is not just one Umbanda, but many ways of living, singing, embodying, praying, attending to, and understanding this Brazilian spiritual tradition.