This entry records that Candomble, an Afro-Brazilian religion developed primarily by enslaved Yoruba, Fon and Bantu peoples and their descendants in Brazil, maintains a rich tradition of sung prayer and invocation addressed to the orixas, without reproducing that liturgical content here. Candomble prayer is deeply integrated with music and dance, with specific drum rhythms, songs and dance movements associated with particular orixas performed during ceremonies held at a terreiro, a Candomble house of worship led by a priest or priestess, pai de santo or mae de santo, and this liturgical material, transmitted through initiation and lengthy practical apprenticeship within a specific terreiro's lineage, is understood within the tradition as belonging properly to initiated members of that community.
Different regional variants of Candomble, reflecting different specific African ethnic origins among the enslaved populations that developed them, including Candomble Ketu drawing primarily on Yoruba tradition, Candomble Angola drawing on Bantu-derived tradition, and others, maintain related but distinct liturgical languages and ceremonial specifics, meaning Candomble is better understood as a family of related traditions than as one single uniform practice.