Multisensory Storytelling and Chemical Mapping of the Syncretic Lavagem do Bonfim Smellscape

Abstract Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) is intrinsically tied to human sensory perception. Yet, open-air smellscapes remain undocumented and vulnerable to climate change and urban gentrification. This study captures the atmospheric evolution of the Lavagem do Bonfim in Salvador, Brazil, where Roman Catholic devotion and Afro-Brazilian Candomblé cosmology converge. Using active Tenax® TA sorbent sampling, thermal desorption gas chromatography–mass spectrometry–olfactometry (GC–MS/O), and Principal Odor Map (POM) neural predictions, volatile organic compounds were characterized alongside qualitative sensory ethnography (n=52). Reconstructing 48-hour storylines across three archetypes (Baiana, Priest, Reveller) shows how micro-level sensory acts scale into a collective atmosphere. Intersection analyses isolate a universal 23-compound chemical core (alpha-pinene, beta-pinene, linalool, eucalyptol, eugenol, camphor, benzyl acetate, phenylethyl alcohol, acetic acid, and key terpenic/ester species) defining the festival's multisensory fingerprint. This framework shows that volatile heritage is preserved as a living, community-validated archive, offering a transferable blueprint for safeguarding endangered sensory heritage worldwide.