Thousands perform shamanic rituals for indigenous goddess

(14 Oct 2019) LEAD IN: Thousands of devotees have been celebrating the goddess, Maria Lionza with shamanic rituals at a gathering in the Venezuelan mountains. Devotees walk into burning fires and beat and cut themselves, in the belief it will help them communicate with their ancestors. STORY-LINE: Sorte mountain, Yaracuy state, Venezuela - believed to be the home of Maria Lionza - goddess of nature, love, peace and harmony. Each year devotees gather on this mountainside for ancient rituals played out with fire, blood and smoke. The pilgrimage pays tribute to the indigenous goddess Maria Lionza, who's revered by many in the crisis-stricken South American nation. Thousands of devotees travel to Sorte Mountain for the gathering, seeking spiritual connection and physical healing. The traditions are hundreds of years old and draw on Catholicism, the Afro-Caribbean religion Santeria and indigenous rituals, all set to a pulse of constant drumming. According to legend, Maria Lionza came from the mountain at Sorte, near the northwestern town of Chivacoa. Many devotees camp in tents among the old-growth forest while dedicating several days to the spiritual ceremonies. Those immersed in the traditions say it puts them in a trance that allows them to channel spirits and escape injury from otherwise dangerous feats. 26-year-old Francisco Verdaguer says his interactions with flames left no mark on him. "I feel good, thank God," he says. "My feet are fine, and my body is free of any burns. Above all, I thank the divine trinity, the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, and my holy mother, Queen Maria Lionza." Others lie motionless and face-up in the dirt amid candles and elaborate drawings, as onlookers pass through them and step over their bodies. Nearby, dozens gather around an altar to Maria Lionza,  intently puffing on cigars, turning the air thick with smoke. Maria Lionza devotee Eloy Parra says tobacco is a conduit to the spirit world. "Tobacco is a means of communicating with the spirits in various religions, do you understand me?" he asks, "For example, in the Santeria religion, they use snails or coconuts. For us, tobacco is the means by which we contact our ancestors, our people, or our mother. Queen María Lionza, because through tobacco we can each get a message on how to live our lives." In another healing ceremony, Verdaguer in an attempt to summon a spirit, slashes at his tongue with a razor and jabs it repeatedly into his bare chest. Blood smears his face and drips down his chest, while those gathered around cheer. As Venezuela sinks deeper into economic and social crisis, devotees say the number of Maria Lionza devotees is swelling. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives Google+: https://plus.google.com/b/102011028589719587178/+APArchive​ Tumblr: https://aparchives.tumblr.com/​​ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/3b1c0fffec4d4e14aa32f8a33ad2527e