A Obrigação da Nelsa

Vila Prudente. Today, Nelsa started the first day of her obrigação (a ritual of commitment to the orixás). Nelsa has been a part of Augusta´s Candomblé for about four years. Her cargo (role) is to incorporate orixás and related spirits. She is considered to still be in her initiatory years, thus her offerings in the roncó (room of shrines to the orixás) were primarily white. One of her orixás is Oxum, like Augusta.

A small part of the ritual, Augusta told me, was similar to what Lucas did for Exu, but because her role and experience are different, so was this ritual. The activities started in the early evening with Augusta, Raul, Lucas and Nivaldo doing their parts. Like Lucas, Nelsa spent the days following the opening ritual removed from people physically - in what is academically called a liminal state. She couldn´t give hugs or kisses and she ate separately from us. She spent the first night sleeping in the roncó and after 24 hours, returned home for several more days of relative isolation.

Though I did not have the opportunity to witness the rituals directly, by staying in the house, I am learning about how all the rituals fit together and the ways in which people play roles in them.