Mention Brazil, people’s first reaction is the football kingdom. In fact, Brazil has many other cultural traditions besides football, such as the Brazilian Poseidon Festival full of samba and African drums. The Brazilian Poseidon Festival is a festival where people dance with the Poseidon. Whenever the Poseidon Festival comes, Brazilians will come to the seaside to present gifts to the Poseidon and celebrate together. Next, let the editor introduce to you what kind of festival is the Brazilian Poseidon Festival, where mortals and sea gods dance together!
Brazil Poseidon festival time
Every February 2nd is the Poseidon Festival in Brazil. The Brazilian Poseidon Festival in samba music and the sound of African drums makes Brazilians truly feel: the sea will always be missed; mortals and sea gods are here to rejoice together dance.
Origin of Poseidon Festival in Brazil
The sea god named Imanya is considered the mother of water, fish and all water-related species. She was originally an idol worshipped by West Africans. When West Africans were sold as slaves to Brazil in the 16th century, they had to pray to Imanya for protection because of suffering and death threats. Therefore, the survivors who arrived in Brazil were very grateful to Poseidon and believed that life was her gift. As a result, their worship of Imanya was also introduced into Brazil, and the Poseidon Festival has become one of the most solemn religious festivals in Brazil today, and the Poseidon Festival is held every year. The most lively place of the Poseidon Festival is El Salvador, where the Portuguese first landed.
Brazilian Poseidon Festival
In the early morning of the festival, people flocked from all directions to Rio Vilmeu Bay in El Salvador with the gifts and offerings prepared for the god of the sea, kicking off with the sound of drums and the dance of African religious ceremonies. Priestesses and maids of African religious temples wear fat shirts and collars of glass beads and dance gracefully. On one side of the temple, there is a small altar decorated with silk flags and flowers, and worshipers go to the altar with reverence to pray to the sea god. On the other side of the temple, is a small hut with palm tree leaves as a bow door, which is filled with wicker baskets offering gifts to the sea god. The baskets are full of roses, perfumes, dolls and prayer books. The procession stood outside the hut.
At noon, when samba music is played everywhere, African drums echo through the cliffs, and the whole bay is filled with festive frenzy. The gift is to use a small boat to carry a basket full of gifts to the sea, and then put the basket on the water. If the basket sinks to the bottom of the sea, it means that the god of the sea receives the gift and will meet the request of the giver in the future. Otherwise, the basket will float. Back to shore. When the music and the frenzy ceased abruptly, the bay fell silent, and the sacrificial boat was about to go to sea.
At this time, a priestess had a big basket on her head, followed by a group of maids with baskets in their hands, walking down the stone steps to the beach, where many small boats were moored, waiting to perform their sacred missions. Then the boats approached the shore to receive baskets full of gifts, which were handed over by the presenters, standing in waist-deep water.
The boat slowly sailed out to sea, followed by some beautifully decorated sailboats and yachts, passengers with their own gifts. After the boat sailed to the destination far from the shore, the people on the boat lifted the largest basket on the water, then threw all the baskets down, and the baskets spun and sank to the bottom of the sea, leaving only the A bouquet of flowers floats on the sea.
At sunset, the fleet returned with all the good news that Poseidon had received. In the early morning of the next day, the rising sun shines on the sea, and the sea gleams and looks so pure. With the joy of happy festivals, people have a belief in their hearts: the god of the sea, will bring happiness to their lives.
