Groundhog Day, South American style
Most Americans spent February 2nd watching for the shadow of a cute, but probably overhyped, rodent. At the same time, half a world away, thousands of Uruguayos flocked to the beach in an annual ritual called “lemanjá”.
The cornerstone of this fascinating bit of culture is the casting of negative energy and evil spirits out to sea. People build small shrines in the sand, dig deep holes and place burning candles down inside, hire shamans to perform rituals meant to cast out bad energy and more.
Ceremony to cast off bad energy
Of course, as long as you’re at the beach you might as well bring the kids and enjoy the warm waters. So people also swim and float on the waves. It’s like a giant carnival… with meaning.
