Lavagem do Bonfim

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The Lavagem do Bonfim (English: Washing of the Bonfim) is an inter-religious celebration that is celebrated in the Brazilian city of Salvador, in the state of Bahia, during the month of January, on the Thursday before the second Sunday after Three Kings' Day. In the same period, there is also a solemn novenary and exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, interrupted only on the day of the washing, when there is a procession between the Basilica of the Conception and the Church of Our Lord of Bonfim, along with the exposition of a small image of Our Lord of Bonfim on the facade of the temple by the church chaplain and a special blessing for all those present. The traditional washing should not be confused with the Festa do Bonfim (English: Feast of Bonfim), event that concludes the novenary on the following Sunday, when mass is celebrated to the saint. The event began in 1773, when the members of the Devotion of Our Lord of Bonfim, composed of lay devotees, forced the enslaved to wash and decorate the church as part of the preparations for the feast. Later, for Candomblé followers, the Lavagem do Bonfim became part of the ceremony of the Waters of Oxalá. Afterwards, the Archdiocese of Salvador banned washing inside the church and moved the ritual to the steps and churchyard. During the traditional washing, the doors of the church remain closed and the baianas pour scented water on the steps and in the churchyard to the sound of Afro-religious songs and chants (although the ritual now has an ecumenical aspect).