Today we had a special lecture on Candomblé, the major afro-brazilian religion in Salvador, as well as the other major religions of Brazil. I personally thought that this lecture was very interesting because I grew up Catholic and Hindu, so I really only knew about those two religions. I learned that Candomblé is very strict and in order to be a priest/priestess there is an initiation phase, much like Catholicism. In Candomblé, it is believed that there is a deity for every follower that guides the follower.

After, we had a Capoeira lesson. Capoeira is is an afro-brazilian martial arts that also involves dance and music. To me, it seems more like a dance than a martial arts, but I can definitely see the martial arts in the dance. We were taught by Mestre Sapoti. He told us the history of how Capoeira came to be and that Capoeria is played and not fought. The idea of Capoeira is to exchange energy and to feel each other’s movements in an attempt to fight and dance.

Mestre Sapoti taught us a basic defense, attack, and flee move. After, we practiced with each other then we sparred with the experts!  I really enjoyed this lesson. I have done martial arts in the past, so this was refreshing and tons of fun. It was also very tiring. By the end of the lesson I felt like I was soaking in sweat and was out of breath. I would never give up this experience, and I am looking forward to the lesson we will have when we are in Lençóis.

Boa noite!

Sujay