A manifestação da Umbanda na Região Metropolitana de Belo Horizonte: da tradição à contemporaneidade.

The present work had its the methodological approach to demonstrate an manifestation of Umbanda in the metropolitan area of Belo Horizonte (mainly regional northwest of Belo Horizonte and Ressaca and Contagem regions) and its manifestation in public (Iemanjá and Preto Velho feasts) and in private (yards / tents / centers) reflecting the syncretism of Umbanda, as well as its rich plastic capacity to adapt and yet remain as a magical-religious identity. Through field research and the use of oral history, four temples were considered: an Umbanda yard with ideological features of Candomblé, an Umbanda tent which considered itself as having ideological characteristics; an Umbanda center with ideological features of Kardec's spiritualism and, finally, a tent with ideological characteristics of esotericism. From this research it is possible to emphasize that Umbanda has the ability to assimilate, incorporate and decode symbols of other religions and other spiritual segments and also it is able somehow to keep up with its own identifications. The data surveyed stimulate reflection of this characteristic - from its origins until the present time. Therefore one can affirm that Umbanda, within this hybridity, owns and maintains its traditional capacitiy: the assimilation and the re-adaptation of other faiths. This thesis therefore examines the culture, customs and identity of Umbanda in its traditions/similarities and breaks/differences within a historical and interdisciplinary analysis. Thus, as theoretic framework for the development of this work, the historical look under the sociological and anthropological perspective was sought. In interweaving the past and present cult of Umbanda, it was used, as a theoretical framework, the overview of the classics of African- Brazilian studies by Arthur Ramos and Roger Bastide, as well as the latest analysis from scholars about Umbanda. Overall, this work, contextualized the characteristics of the micro and macro Umbanda, which, in turn, was capable of reflecting, in terms of belief, the Brazilian culture and identity [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]