Santo Daime () is a syncretic religion founded in the 1930s in the Brazilian Amazonian state of Acre by Raimundo Irineu Serra, known as Mestre Irineu. Santo Daime incorporates elements of several religious or spiritual traditions including Folk Catholicism, Kardecist Spiritism, African animism and indigenous South American shamanism, including vegetalismo.
Ceremonies — trabalhos (Portuguese for "works") — are typically several hours long and are undertaken sitting in silent "concentration", or sung collectively, dancing according to simple steps in geometrical formation. Ayahuasca, referred to as Daime within the practice, which contains several psychoactive compounds, is drunk as part of the ceremony. The drinking of Daime can induce a strong emetic effect which is embraced as both emotional and physical purging.
Santo Daime churches promote a wholesome lifestyle in conformity with Irineu's motto of "harmony, love, truth and justice", as well as other key doctrinal values such as strength, humility, fraternity and purity of heart. The practice became a worldwide movement in the 1990s.
History
Santo Daime, sometimes called simply the 'Doctrine of Mestre Irineu', is the name given to the religious practice originally begun in the 1920s in the far western Brazilian state (then territory) of Acre by Raimundo Irineu Serra, a migrant from Maranhão in Brazil's northeast region, and grandson of slaves.
Irineu Serra was born in Brazil in 1892 to African parents and migrated to the Western Amazon region in 1912, attracted by a boom in the rubber tapping industry. He first drank ayahuasca in the border region between Brazil, Bolivia, and Peru. As a result of experiencing a series of visions whilst spending eight days in solitude in the forest, he began to conduct spiritual ceremonies using ayahuasca. Many people came to him sick, seeking healing they could not afford or failed to find in standard medical practice.
Originally, Santo Daime teachings had no basis in written text, as early practitioners were illiterate, learning being experiential, through singing of inspired hymns exploring the perennial values of love, harmony, and strength through poetic and metaphorical imagery. The hymn collections of early practitioners have since become the sacred works of the doctrine. The earliest hymns were received by Mestre Irineu in the 1930s, eventually growing slowly to about 130 hymns, called "The Cruzeiro". The last hinos he received in the late 60s are considered especially important.
Ritual
Devotional in context, the songs praise divine principles. The Cross of Caravaca (named after Caravaca, Spain, where the style originated), with its double horizontal beam, stands on the altar. Each session begins and ends with Christian prayers. Santo Daime practice features several kinds of rituals. Two of these are concentrações ("concentrations") and bailados ("dances"), also known as hinários ("hymnals"). Other rituals focus on reciting the rosary or on healing. Participants drink Daime at intervals in all types of rituals; but the format and focus will differ; as well as hymnal singing, concentrations or "Concentracaos" include a couple of silent, seated meditations, between 1 and 2 hours in length during which important messages for spiritual awakening are conveyed to participants by Divine Beings, while hymnals or dance festivals, much longer in length, involve dancing and singing hymns in full ceremonial white uniform or branca farda, while playing maracas. These latter occur on calendar dates to give honour to various saints or occasions i.e. Christmas, Father's day, etc. A whole hinario by a Father or Mother of the church is often sung.