Baque de Axé

to Recife Carnaval 2023, the first carnaval back on the street since 2020. A group of 15 of our Banda familia from the UK and Brazil travelled to Recife to learn from Nação do Maracatu Porto Rico and participate in their carnaval presentation.

The photos here are from Tumaraca, the official opening event for Recife Carnaval that brings together dozens of traditional Maracatu Naçãos, or Nations, to play together in a massive, unified performance with over 500 percussionists.

It was an intense and amazing couple of weeks – Thank you to all the community members who made us feel so welcome and shared their knowledge and energy with us.

portorico

to Recife Carnaval 2020 when members of our Banda travelled to Brazil to learn from Nação do Maracatu Porto Rico and participate in their carnaval presentation.

To learn the carnaval repertoire our banda trained with percussion leaders Rumenig Dantas and Ivanzinho Percussa at Porto Rico's base in the community of Bode in Pina, Recife.

The main event for Nação do Maracatu Porto Rico each year takes place on a special parading street in Recife, which has banked seating like the Sambódromo in Rio. The Maracatu nations parade in front of the judges, competing to become 'Champions of the Carnival', a title that comes with much prestige and a vital financial prize that helps support the community for the rest of the year. For carnaval 2020 Porto Rico also honoured Oxossi as very special Orixá for the Nação and Mae Elda, and they were crowned Champions! Our Banda was proud to be invited to represent Nação do Maracatu Porto Rico – especially when the individual scores were released and Porto Rico received 10/10 for Batuqueiros!

Happy National Day of Maracatu to all of our Maracatu family and especially to Naçao de Maracatu Porto Rico | Feliz dia Nacional do Maracatu pra toda nossa família Maracatu. Em especial à Nação do Maracatu Porto Rico.

https://nacaoportorico.maracatu.org.br/

Mãe Elda de Oxóssi born the 6th January 1939 in Recife, Pernambuco. The daughter of Evangelical parents, she was first introduced to Umbanda and Candomblé in Rio de Janeiro. Her initiation in Recife took place in the 1970s within the Nagô nation, and later, in the 1980s, within the Jeje nation under the guidance of the renowned Babalorixá Raminho de Oxóssi. Today the terreiro, (spiritual centre) known as Ylé Axé Oxóssi Guangoubira is defined as a Jeje-Nagô nation.

Mãe Elda was a baiana in the Afro-Brazilian street processions that moved throughout the historic neighbourhoods of Recife in the 1960s. This experience connected her to the community that would later form the base of her leadership and bring Porto Rico back to life.

In October 1980, she was crowned Queen of Nação do Maracatu Porto Rico at the Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Rosário dos Homens Pretos in Recife. She was the last Maracatu queen to be crowned inside a Catholic church, marking the end of a centuries-old tradition that reflected the unique dialogue between Afro-Brazilian and Catholic heritage. Her reign began a remarkable new chapter for Porto Rico. When Mãe Elda became Queen, Porto Rico had once again fallen inactive following the death of its leader, Rei Eudes Chagas. With determination and love, she helped bring the nation back to the streets of Recife, not simply reviving a Carnival group, but rebuilding a community rooted in culture, spirituality, and belonging.

Mãe Elda believed that traditions stay alive when young people are invited to become part of them. She introduced the Corte Mirim (Children's Royal Court), enriched the costumes with new colours, structure and brilliance, and helped shape Porto Rico's distinctive identity. At the same time, she transformed its headquarters into a place of learning, where children and adults could discover music, dance, costume-making, and the values of the community. Her innovations always honoured the roots of Maracatu while opening doors for future generations.

For Mãe Elda, Maracatu was never just about Carnival. It was about caring for people, protecting ancestral knowledge, and creating spaces where everyone could feel a sense of belonging. Her influence continues through the generations she inspired, the community she strengthened, and the countless people around the world who carry her teachings forward.

https://nacaoportorico.maracatu.org.br/rainha-elda/

Mãe Elda de Oxóssi born the 6th January 1939 in Recife, Pernambuco.
The daughter of Evangelical parents, she was first introduced to Umbanda and Candomblé in Rio de Janeiro.
Her initiation in Recife took place in the 1970s within the Nagô nation, and later, in the 1980s, within the Jeje nation under the guidance of the renowned Babalorixá Raminho de Oxóssi.
Today the terreiro, (spiritual centre) known as Ylé Axé Oxóssi Guangoubira is defined as a Jeje-Nagô nation.

Mãe Elda de Oxóssi nasceu em 6 de janeiro de 1939, no Recife, Pernambuco.
Filha de pais evangélicos, teve seu primeiro contato com a Umbanda e o Candomblé no Rio de Janeiro.
Sua iniciação religiosa ocorreu no Recife, na década de 1970, pela tradição da Nação Nagô. Posteriormente, na década de 1980, foi iniciada na Nação Jeje sob a orientação do renomado Babalorixá Raminho de Oxóssi.
Hoje, o terreiro Ylé Axé Oxóssi Guangoubira é reconhecido como pertencente à tradição Jeje-Nagô, reunindo elementos dessas duas importantes matrizes do Candomblé.

https://nacaoportorico.maracatu.org.br/rainha-elda/

Mãe Elda de Oxóssi, translates into English as Mother Elda of Oxóssi. Oxóssi refers to her Orixá (deity and spiritual guide) in Candomblé, an African diasporic religion that developed in Brazil during the 19th century. It comes from the Yoruba and Bantu religions brought to Brazil by enslaved West and Central Africans.
Oxóssi is revered as the guardian of the forest and its communities. He is represented as a skilled archer holding a bow and arrow (ofá), and symbolises knowledge, wisdom, protection, and the sustenance of life. �
As a daughter of Oxóssi, Mãe Elda carried these values into everything she did; protecting traditions, nurturing her community and reminding us that culture flourishes when it is shared.

Mãe Elda de Oxóssi, traduz-se para inglês como Mother Elda of Oxóssi. Oxóssi refere-se ao seu Orixá (divindade e guia espiritual) no Candomblé, uma religião da diáspora africana que se desenvolveu no Brasil durante o século XIX. Vem das religiões Yoruba e Bantu trazidas para o Brasil por africanos ocidentais e centrais escravizados.�
Oxóssi é reverenciado como o guardião da floresta e das suas comunidades. Ele é representado como um arqueiro habilidoso segurando um arco e flecha (ofá), simbolizando conhecimento, sabedoria, proteção e a sustentação da vida.
Como filha de Oxóssi, Mãe Elda transmitiu esses valores em tudo o que fazia; protegendo tradições, cuidando da sua comunidade e lembrando-nos que a cultura floresce quando é partilhada

www.baquedeaxe.com

Mãe Elda Viana de Oxóssi, 1939–2025.

As a community and cultural leader for over four decades, Mãe Elda de Oxóssi dedicated her life to Nação do Maracatu Porto Rico and to the people who sustained it. A spiritual leader and educator who built a community from the ground up. She believed that culture only survives when it is shared, nurtured, and passed from one generation to the next.

Her words continue to guide us:
"If it's not for love, it won't go forward."

Como líder comunitária e cultural por mais de quatro décadas, Mãe Elda de Oxóssi dedicou sua trajetória à Nação do Maracatu Porto Rico e às pessoas que mantiveram essa tradição pulsante. Líder espiritual e educadora, que construiu uma comunidade a partir das próprias raízes, ela acreditava que a cultura só sobrevive quando é compartilhada, cultivada e transmitida de geração em geração.

Suas palavras continuam a nos guiar:
"Se não for por amor não vai em frente."
— Mãe Elda Viana de Oxóssi.

www.baquedeaxe.com