On November 14, 1908, Zelio Fernandinho de Morales, incorporated in Niteroi, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil an entity who identified himself as Caboclo das Sete Encruzilhadas.
This young 17 year old boy had been suffering from some kind of ailment that both doctors and Catholic priests were unable to identify. Zelio was born to a very traditional Catholic family and was at that time, preparing to join the Marines of his country when he suddenly fell sick with some kind of paralysis that no doctor was able to identify. The family, worried, got to the point of calling in Catholic priests to see if he had been possessed by some evil spirit to no avail. One day, he woke up and said “tomorrow I will be healed”.
On the next day he in fact got out of bed and started walking again as if nothing had ever happened. Doctors could not explain. His uncles, priests of the Catholic Church were surprised, but were unable to explain such phenomena. Then, a family friend suggested he go the The Spiritist Federation of the State of Rio de Janeiro (then in Niteroi), presided at that time by Jose de Souza.
Once there, an entity who identified himself as Caboclo das Sete Encruzilhadas, manifested through Zelio and announced the foundation of a new religion in Brazil, that was Umbanda and the date was November 15, 1908, official foundation date of Umbanda.
The spiritual sessions in those days in Brazil were based on the teachings of Allan Kardec and the spirits invoked were usually spirits of white people but more than once, spirits of old slaves and antient indigenous people, would appear and be rejected by the ones who lead the sessions. When Zelio arrived and immediately felt the presence of the Caboclo, the entity asked why the messages of black people and Indians were not accepted. This situation caused a chaotic situation that led the leaders of the session to inquire this spirit why he said that but, one of the attendees asked this spirit to identify himself since he appeared to be surrounded by an aura of light.
Zelio’s entity responded: If you want a name, have this one “ I’m Caboclo of the seven Crossroads”, because for me there will be no blocked roads and right after that, he announced his mission. This mission was to establish the bases of a cult in which the spirits of both Indians and slaves and many others would come to meet. Later on he stated that he would from then on be seen at the residence of the medium in order to found a church that would symbolize the true equality that should exist between those who have left this world and those who remain. “I will take a seed from this place and plant it in the neighborhood of Neves where it will become a tree.
On the following day, November 16, 1908, at the residence of the family of the young medium, in Floriano Peixoto 30, Neves, Niteroi district, the entity appeared again in the face of almost all leaders of the Spirit’s Federation, family friends (surprised and in disbelief), and a large number of strangers. Some of these last with ailments, who had a chance to approach the entity and who were cured by him. This was the first manifestation of the presence of an elevated soul.
At this meeting the Caboclo established the rules of the religion. It would tend to all who had ailments and so healings took place. Many other things were established and the entity named this new religion UMBANDA and the place where they first practiced it was called Tenda Espirita of Our Lady of Mercy, because,
They were almost developed overnight between 20 and 22 hours completely free to the public, recovery and healings took place, the uniform to be used by the medium would be any simple white cloth, do not allow financial compensation for care, or the work, the songs would not be accompanied by rhythmic clapping or drums. In this new cult that was grounded in that night, the entity named Umbanda and upheld the first temple to be practiced with the “store” name Spiritist Our Lady of mercy, because, as Mary welcomes the child into his arms, the store would welcome those who resort to it in times of distress.
Through Zelio that same night manifested a preto velho, pai Antonio, to complete cures of patients initiated by the caboclo and was him (the Preto) who conducted this ponto (song) sung in the whole of Brazil: “I come, I come, with God on his arrival, arrived on the 7 caboclo crossroads. ”
Apart from that date the house of the family of Zelio filled with sick people, believers, skeptics and the curious. The sick were healed, skeptics witnessed irrefutable proof, the curious to note the existence of a superior force and the believers increased day by day 5 years later manifested the orisha malé, especially for the cure of obsessives.
Passed 10 years, caboclo “of the 7 Crossroads” announced the 2nd stage of its mission, the foundation of 7 temples which should be the core for the spread of the religion Umbanda, the store of mercy was active producing healing mainly producing recovery the obsessed (possessed) considered crazy at that time, and then be counted by hundreds of cures performed by the entity, discussed throughout the state and confirmed by themselves.
