Religious syncretism

Religious syncretism is the combining or mutual adaptation of beliefs, rituals, symbols, or institutions from different religious traditions.

Interpretatio graeca: The ancient Greek practice of identifying foreign gods with Greek deities through perceived similarities. It shows how translating one pantheon into another could create religious equivalences.
Candomblé: An Afro-Brazilian religion shaped by West African traditions and historical interaction with Catholicism and Brazilian society. Its orixás, ritual lineages, and Catholic-era pressures illustrate a specific history of adaptation.
Hellenistic religion: The diverse religious life of the Greek-speaking world from the era of Alexander the Great through Roman rule. Conquests and mobility brought Greek, Egyptian, and West Asian cults into sustained contact.
Religious identity: The ways individuals and communities understand and express belonging to religious traditions. Adaptation may be embraced as part of a tradition or rejected as a threat to its boundaries.
Religious translation: The rendering of religious ideas, texts, and practices in terms intelligible within another language or tradition. Translation can recast imported beliefs using a receiving tradition’s familiar concepts.
Santería: An Afro-Cuban religion rooted in Yoruba-derived traditions and shaped by colonial-era Catholicism. Its relationship between orishas and Catholic saints is often discussed as syncretic.
Roman Empire: An ancient state centered on Rome that ruled much of the Mediterranean world and beyond. Its conquest and governance connected communities whose gods and rites could be identified or shared.
Religious orthodoxy: Conformity to doctrines or practices regarded as correct within a religious community. Claims of orthodoxy often determine whether borrowed elements are accepted or condemned.
Ritual: A patterned action performed according to convention, often carrying symbolic or religious significance. Rituals can preserve and recombine practices even when beliefs are reinterpreted.
Vodou: A Haitian religion formed from African religious traditions and developed under French colonial rule and Catholic influence. Its history shows adaptation without reducing a distinct religion to a mixture.

Linked from 35 pages