Yemanja

30.05.2012 22:45

I’m nearly falling asleep as I write due to our dinner at a churrascaria, or Brazilian steakhouse. This one had everything from lamb and steak to sashimi and shell fish. Definitely due for a run tomorrow! Earlier this afternoon I got my first taste of candomblé, the Bahian religion rooted in African spirituality. It’s unique to Bahia, not all of Brazil, and practiced by a large part of the population. For perspective, there are something like 300 Catholic churches here and more than 2000 candomblé temples. Today we visited one of Yemanjá, the orixá (like a deity or protector, but not exactly a god/goddess) of the sea. Every follower of candomblé has their own orixas, which are determined by your mãe or pãe de santo (priestess or priest), who throw shells to make this assessment. There are more than a dozen orixas, each with their own message and color. Ossaim is the orixá of plants, whose color is green; ewá whose color is red and represents creativity. Yemanjá  is white and in the picture below. It’s a complex religion with many layers—I hope to learn more!