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The Iemanjá festival in Salvador de Bahia attracts thousands of Bahians and tourists who flock to the beaches of the Rio Vermelho on 2 February every year.

Iyemanjá, Yemanjá, Yemaya, Iemoja, or Yemoja, is an African orisha, whose name derives from the Yoruba expression ‘Yèyé omo ejá’ (‘Mother whose children are fish’). She is identified in the merindilogun game by the odu ejibe and ossá, and is represented materially and immaterially in candomblé through the sacred settlement called igba yemanja.

In Brazil, the orisha Iemanjá enjoys great popularity among followers of Afro-Brazilian religions, and even among members of other religions.

In Salvador, the Iemanjá festival takes place every year on 2 February and is one of the country’s biggest celebrations in honour of Iemanjá, the ‘Queen of the Sea’.

• The celebration involves thousands of people dressed in white, who go out in procession to the main temple, located near the mouth of the Rio Vermelho, where they deposit various offerings, such as mirrors, jewellery, food, perfumes and other treats.

Another important festival dedicated to Iemanjá takes place on New Year’s Eve in Rio de Janeiro, where thousands of people place offerings in the sea.

• The celebration also includes the traditional ‘popcorn bath’ and the ritual of jumping the seven waves, which many practice as a way of asking the orisha for luck.

In Umbanda, Iemanjá is considered the deity of the sea and also the patron saint of shipwrecked people, and is seen as the mother of all human heads.

1. The various names of Yemanjá

Iemanjá or Yemanjá, the Queen of the Sea, is revered by various names, each carrying its own meanings and stories. Among them are Janaína, Inaê and Princesa de Aiocá. The name Aiocá evokes a kingdom of mysterious lands, symbolising happiness and freedom, and refers to nostalgia for African origins, evoking longing for the times when people lived free in the forests.

Although the name Janaína is a less common Portuguese form, it is also associated with Iemanjá. This name emerged during the period of slavery, as a strategy of syncretism, allowing Africans to maintain their traditional religious practices, despite resistance from slave masters, who saw such cults as unacceptable.

Although the use of ‘Janaína’ has diminished over time, it still resonates in various popular songs celebrating ‘Janaína do Mar’ and in liturgical chants, keeping alive the connection between African traditions and contemporary cultural expressions.

On 2 February 2010, for the first time, a sculpture of a black mermaid, created by artist Washington Santana, was chosen to represent Iemanjá in the great gift of the Rio Vermelho festival, in honour of Africa and the Afro-descendant religion.

2. Differences between Iemanjá and Nossa Senhora dos Navegantes

In Brazil, there is a syncretism between Our Lady of the Navigators, from the Catholic religion, and the orisha Iemanjá, from African mythology. Although both represent protection and devotion to the waters, they have different origins and meanings.

• Iemanjá is considered the Queen of the Sea and is venerated by many as the mother of all the orishas. Her image is associated with fertility, protection and abundance, especially among fishing communities.
• Our Lady of the Navigators, on the other hand, is a central figure in Catholicism, symbolising the protection of sailors and fishermen. She is invoked to guarantee safety on sea voyages and blessings for fishing activities.

Both figures are celebrated on 2 February in a large river procession that unites devotees from different traditions. One of the biggest celebrations in honour of Iemanjá takes place in Porto Alegre, where the festivities merge with the celebrations of Nossa Senhora dos Navegantes.

3. The Iemanjá festival in Rio Vermelho

The traditional Iemanjá Festival in Salvador takes place on Rio Vermelho beach every year on 2 February. On the same date, Iemanjá is revered on many beaches in Brazil, with offerings such as candles and flowers thrown into the sea from small handmade boats.

At the same time, the Catholic festival takes place in the Church of Nossa Senhora da Conceição da Praia, while the Candomblé and Umbanda terreiros hold ceremonies on the beaches, with delimited spaces for their rituals.

In Brazil, the version of Iemanjá portrayed by Pierre Verger represents a mother who protects her children at all costs, a mother of several children, or several fish, who loves looking after children and domestic animals.

4. Figure of Iemanjá (Yemanjá)

In the historical context of the sacred, Yemanjá (or Iémójá) is a central female figure in candomblé, revered as the queen of salty waters, goddess of the sea, great mother of the Yoruba people and ‘mother of all orishas’.

Originally, in Africa, she was worshipped on the banks of the river Ogum. Yemanjá is the orisha of the Egbá, a Yoruba nation that settled between the regions of Ifé and Ibadan, where the Yemójá River still exists. The greeting ‘Odoyá!’ means mother of the river.

In Brazil, Yemanjá has become the ‘lady of the seas’, possibly due to the country’s vast oceanic expanse. However, she is also seen as the queen of lakes, lagoons and the junction of the river and the sea.

Yemanjá is represented as a figure of a mermaid and a woman, at once warrior and mother, wife and fighter.

She is a symbol of sensuality, with her full breasts and long hair, associated with the image of a protective mother.

Yemanjá has several names, which, as in the case of Oxum, are related to the different deep places (ibù) of the river.

Yemanjá is often portrayed as a matron with voluminous breasts, symbolising a fertile and nourishing motherhood.

The mermaid image connects Yemanjá with her condition as a sexualised, feminine woman. Her long black hair and blue dress refer to her condition as a mother, pure and maternal.

In the sea, Yemanjá exercises control, alternating between moments of destruction and calm. She offers abundance to those who depend on the sea for survival. Yemanjá provides fishermen with the abundance and variety of food necessary for their subsistence and sustenance.

Her cult was brought to Brazil by African peoples and has been perpetuated for generations, being revered by whites, blacks, mulattos, rich and poor. From the batuques of Rio Grande do Sul to the xangô of Pernambuco, the cult of Yemanjá was spread, structured and established, consolidating her as a great example of an Afro-Brazilian female figure.

In Candomblé, Yemanjá has her own authenticity. Yemanjá is not a mermaid, nor is she Janaina or Our Lady. She is neither white nor blonde. She is an orisha, a beautiful black African woman, mother, wife and warrior.

5. When and How the Feast of Yemanjá Happens

1. Beginning

According to tradition, the popular festival has been taking place since 1923, when the fish supply in the Rio Vermelho Fishermen’s Village dwindled. Desperate, the fishermen asked the Orixá for help and set out to offer a gift to Yemanjá.

What initially represented an initiative by a group of fishermen and their families gradually attracted the participation of the neighbourhood’s residents and, later, the population of the city of Salvador. As a result, people from other states and countries also took part in the festival.

2. Main gift

Each year, in addition to the traditional gifts given, a special gift is offered to Yemanjá and kept secret until it is offered at the end of the festival.

3. Yemanjá’s shed and house

The main gift is displayed in the shed, located between the Church of Sant’Ana and the House of Yemanjá. The shed is a wooden structure covered in coconut straw, set up every year as part of the festival. Its purpose is to accommodate and organise the gifts in raffles, which are publicly displayed.

With its blue windows and tiles decorating the façade, the small Casa de Yemanjá (also known as Casa do Peso) functions all year round as the headquarters of the Rio Vermelho fishermen. Built to meet the needs of the fishermen, its functions have been redefined by the dynamics of the festival.

On 2 February, the small fishermen’s house becomes the main stage for the Yemanjá Festival, which, together with the shore of Paciência beach and Sant’Ana square, forms one of the most beautiful settings in the city.

4. Flow of people

The intense flow of people invades the streets, avenues and waterfront of the Rio Vermelho neighbourhood, filling the atmosphere with devotion, drumming, offerings and great faith in Yemanjá.

The festival is known as ‘festa de largo’ in Salvador, referring to events that take place in more open places. The Yemanjá Festival is concentrated in a local square, one of the neighbourhood’s central locations, and around the Church of Sant’ana do Rio Vermelho. The neighbourhood’s structure is completely changed by the festivities on February 2nd.

Other places participate more discreetly in the celebrations, devotions and offerings to the Queen of the Sea, such as Dique do Tororó, in the city centre.

5. Organisation of the offerings

During the festival, the flow of people to hand over the gifts and offerings follows a specific organisation. A huge queue forms for those who wish to deliver their gifts to the hut, and another queue for those who choose to deliver them directly to the House of Yemanjá.

The gifts are placed in traditional balaios, straw baskets adorned with the colours and items most dear to the Orixá, and are destined for the waters of the ocean (or rivers).

Yemanjá Festival in Salvador de Bahia