Syncretism is the fusion of different doctrines for the formation of a new one, whether of a philosophical, cultural or religious character. Syncretism maintains typical characteristics of all its basic doctrines, whether rituals, superstitions, processes, ideologies, etc.
Etymologically, the word "syncretism" originated from the Greek sygkretismos, which means "reunion of the islands of Crete against a common adversary", which in turn was translated into French syncretism, giving rise, consequently, to the variant in the Portuguese language.
The syncretism process is intrinsically linked to the communication relationships between heterogeneous social groups, that is, with different cultures, customs and traditions. When contact occurs and interaction between these different groups develops, "adaptations" arise in the various cultural aspects, causing one group to "absorb" the belief system of the other.
religious syncretism
The best known and most studied syncretism process is religious syncretism. Religious syncretism is the blending of one or more religious beliefs into a single doctrine. This syncretism model, as well as the cultural one, is born from the direct or indirect contact between people with different beliefs.
Ogum, an orixá of the Umbanda and Candomblé religions, is considered the equivalent of Saint George of the Catholic Church.
Religious syncretism has happened several times throughout history. There were episodes such as invasions, wars and colonization that culminated in the contact between different societies and, as a consequence, the fusion of beliefs and traditions.
The fusion between religions can happen naturally by contact with different beliefs or by impositions, when there is a relationship of domination and one of the beliefs is imposed on a certain group of people.
One of the examples of syncretism was Christianity's adaptation and absorption of concepts from pagan religions in Europe during the Middle Ages. As is the case with the title of Pontiff, which was an attribute of the Roman Emperor and came to be used by the Catholic Church to designate the Pope.
The Church used the customs and traditions of the pagans for the benefit of Christian doctrine, reconstructing the discourses already established in pagan societies in the name of Christianity.
know more about Catholic church and Paganism.
Religious syncretism in Brazil
Brazil is one of the most religious countries in the world and one of the nations where there is greater religious syncretism. This amalgamation of religions began with the arrival of the first Portuguese colonizers on the continent.
Along with the Portuguese, came the Catholic Church - a powerful institution at that time, which sought to increase its influence throughout the world. Upon arriving in the region, the Jesuit missionaries, members of the Society of Jesus order, had the mission of Christianizing the indigenous population.
Despite the power that the Catholic Church had over the indigenous people and the imposition of the Catholic religion on these peoples, there was a mixture of beliefs among the population. Little by little, cults and celebrations were created with references from different religions.
The process of religious syncretism intensifies with the arrival of enslaved African peoples. The Catholic Church acted repressively against the celebration of cults and religious beliefs of this people - celebrations were prohibited and punishments were applied to those who disrespected these rules.
One of the ways found by Africans to preserve their traditions was to use the knowledge passed on by the priests and associating the Catholic saints with their orixás, as a disguise for carrying out their services.
At that moment, there is the beginning of an important religious syncretism in Brazil, the Afro-Christian. Umbanda is one of the great examples of this syncretism: it is a mixture of Catholicism, Afro-Brazilian religions and spiritualism.
Religious altar with elements of Umbanda, Candomblé and Catholicism.
Even at the time of colonization, another syncretism began to emerge with the Quilombos - where, in addition to blacks, indigenous people also took refuge. In these spaces, the coexistence between blacks and Indians promoted the exchange of knowledge and traditions between these peoples.
Today, in Brazil, there are followers of several religions, such as Christianity, Umbanda, Candomblé, Judaism, Spiritism, Islam and Buddhism. This diversity is the result of the historical process of building the country, which received people from different regions of the world.
See also the meaning of:
- Umbanda
- All about Umbanda
- spiritism
- Islam
- Buddhism
- Judaism
- Candomblé
- Yemanja
- Oxossi