Case file · Sacred site
Zélio de Moraes and the birth of Umbanda
Umbanda tradition holds that on 15 November 1908 a 17-year-old, Zélio Fernandino de Moraes, received the spirit of the 'Caboclo das Sete Encruzilhadas' at a Spiritist session in Niterói and announced a new religion open to Indigenous and African spirits.
1908 CE · -22.83, -43.05 · status: account
The account
The next day the first Umbanda centre was said to open at the family home in Neves, São Gonçalo. Umbanda blends Kardecist Spiritism, Afro-Brazilian religion, Catholicism and Indigenous imagery, with spirits such as caboclos and pretos-velhos. 15 November is celebrated as Umbanda Day.
The sceptical view
Historians note that this founding story was written down decades later and that Umbanda-like practices existed in Rio before 1908.
Connections in the atlas
- Quebra de Xangô, Maceió
- Catimbó sessions recorded by Mário de Andrade's mission
- First Spiritist group in Brazil, Salvador
- Terreiro do Gantois