Difference between revisions of "María Lionza"

The followers call themselves Marialionceros and refer María Lionza as. the "Queen" (Spanish: ''La Reina''). People go to Sorte mountain seeking for strength, healing and to contact the souls of dead people. During the pilgrimage, the principal shamans and priests of María Lionza come together to pay homage. Many followers wear indigenous costumes and perform a traditional fire walking dance called the "dance of hot coals" (Spanish: ''baile de las brasas'').

Several spirits are also worshipped during the rituals alongside Catholic saints. María Lionza is one of the main "three powers" (Spanish: ''Tres Potencias''), which also include Guaicaipuro, a legendary indigenous resistance leader of 16th century, and Negro Felipe, a black Afro-American soldier that allegedly participated in the Venezuelan War of Independence. The lower spirits, usually referred as brothers by the pilgrims, are arranged into 'courts', divided by identity: Indigenous, African, Viking, Liberator. The spirits include farmers, modern criminals and famous historical figures, like Venezuela 19th century liberator Simón Bolívar. Many followers cleanse themselves in the muddy rivers to receive the spirits. Shamans take the role of mediums between the pilgrims and the spirits, and usually demand their followers to enter into a trance state which often leads them to speak in tongues or harming themselves. The shamans and the Marialionceros employ blessings, cursing, drum playing, cigar smoking, tobacco chewing, and local liquors during the yearly rituals. Various sources have reported sightings of shamans, sometimes wearing horned helmets, claiming to have contacted the legendary Viking Eric the Red, the first Norse explorer to discover Greenland.