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Every year on 2 February, thousands of Bahians and tourists throng the beaches of Rio Vermelho in Salvador.
Iyemanjá, Yemanjá, Yemaya, Iemoja “Iemanjá” or Yemoja, is an African orisha, whose name derives from the Yoruba expression “Yèyé omo ejá” (“Mother whose children are fish”), identified in the merindilogun game by the odu ejibe and ossá, represented materially and immaterially by candomblé, through the sacred settlement called igba yemanja.
In Brazil, the orisha enjoys great popularity among followers of Afro-Brazilian religions, and even among members of different religions.
In Salvador, one of the country’s biggest festivals in honour of the “Queen of the Sea” takes place every year on 2 February.
The celebration involves thousands of people who, dressed in white, go out in procession to the main temple, located near the mouth of the Red River, where they deposit a variety of offerings, such as mirrors, jewellery, food, perfumes and all sorts of pleasantries.
Another important festival dedicated to Iemanjá takes place on New Year’s Eve in Rio de Janeiro.
Festa de Iemanjá no Rio Vermelho
Thousands of people attend and make offerings to the deity in the sea.
The celebration also includes the traditional “popcorn bath” and the seven waves that the faithful, or even followers of other religions, jump over as a way of asking for luck from the Orixá.
In Umbanda, she is considered the deity of the sea, as well as being the patron goddess of shipwrecked people and the mother of all human heads.
“Iemanjá, queen of the sea, is also known as dona Janaína, Inaê, Princesa de Aiocá and Maria, in a parallelism with the Catholic religion. Aiocá is the kingdom of the mysterious lands of happiness and freedom, an image of the African homelands, longing for the free days in the forest” – Jorge Amado
In addition to the great diversity of African names by which Iemanjá is known, the Portuguese form Janaína is also a common name.
Iemanjá is a nickname that is utilised, albeit on rare occasions.
The nickname, created during slavery, was the mildest form of “syncretism” found by blacks to perpetuate their traditional cults without the intervention of their masters, who considered such “pagan manifestations” unacceptable on their property.
Although this invocation has fallen into disuse, several popular compositions have been written to honour “Janaína do Mar” and as liturgical songs.
For the first time, on 2 February 2010, a sculpture of a black mermaid, created by artist Washington Santana, was chosen to represent Iemanjá in the great traditional gift of the Rio Vermelho festival in Salvador, Bahia, in honour of Africa and the Afro-descendant religion.
Syncretism
There is a syncretism between the Catholic saint Nossa Senhora dos Navegantes and the African mythological orisha Iemanjá. At times, even festivals in honour of the two merge.
In Brazil, both Nossa Senhora dos Navegantes and Iemanjá are celebrated on 2 February. The day dedicated to her is usually celebrated with a large river procession.
One of the biggest festivals takes place in Porto Alegre, in Rio Grande do Sul, due to its syncretism with Nossa Senhora dos Navegantes.
In the same state, in Pelotas, the image of Our Lady of the Navigators goes to the Port of Pelotas. Before the Catholic festival comes to a close, one of the most memorable moments of the feast of Our Lady of the Navigators in Pelotas, which in 2008 reached its 77th edition, takes place.
The boats stop and are greeted by umbandistas carrying the image of Iemanjá, providing an ecumenical meeting watched from the waterfront by several people.
On 8 December, another festival is held on the Bahian seafront: the Feast of Our Lady of the Conception of the Beach. This day, 8 December, is dedicated to the patron saint of Bahia, Nossa Senhora da Conceição da Praia, and is a municipal holiday in Salvador.
Also on this date, the gift of Iemanjá takes place at Pedra Furada, on Monte Serrat in Salvador, a popular event that originates from the devotion of local fishermen to the Queen of the Sea – also known as Janaína
In the capital of Paraíba, the city of João Pessoa, the municipal holiday dedicated to Our Lady of the Conception, 8 December, is the day of the traditional festival in honour of Iemanjá.
Every year, a circular stage surrounded by flags and blue and white ribbons is set up on Tambaú Beach, around which faithful from various parts of the state and onlookers gather to watch the parade of the orishas and, above all, the honoured woman. On the beach, there are holes with lit candles, flowers and gifts. In 2008, according to the festival’s organisers, 100,000 people attended.
Red River Festival
The traditional Festa de Iemanjá in the city of Salvador, capital of Bahia, takes place on Rio Vermelho beach every 2 February. On the same date, Yemanjá is also worshipped on several other Brazilian beaches, where candles and flowers are offered to her and thrown into the sea in small handmade boats.
The Catholic festival takes place at the Church of Nossa Senhora da Conceição da Praia, in Cidade Baixa, while the Candomblé and Umbanda terreiros make fenced divisions with ropes, ribbons and flowers on the beaches, demarcating space for the houses of saints that will carry out their work on the sand.
In Brazil, Iemanjá in Pierre Verger’s version, represents the mother who protects her children at all costs, the mother of several children, or several fish, who loves looking after children and domestic animals.
History and Origin of the Iemanjá Festival
The tradition, according to historians, began in 1923, when a group of 25 fishermen decided to offer gifts to the “mother of the waters” in the hope that she could solve the problem of a shortage of fish.
From then on, every year they ask the orisha for plenty of fish and calm seas. Among the superstitions surrounding the tributes is the question of how the gifts will be received.
Legend has it that if the gift is found on the beach, it’s because the deity didn’t like it.
When the offering disappears into the sea, however, it’s a sign that the gift has been accepted. In recent years, awareness campaigns have been organised to encourage people to adopt sustainable gifts as a way of preserving the environment.
Bahia.ws – Tourism and Travel Guide to Salvador, Bahia and the Northeast
