Iemanjá Day: get to know the divinity associated with water, maternity, and women’s fertility

Karol Rocha – Cenarium Magazine

MANAUS – Associated with water, women’s fertility, maternity, and the process of creation of the world, Yemanjá is a female divinity, an orixá, that is, a goddess of candomblé and umbanda – two religions originating from Africa. The name, from the Yorubá African language “Yèyé omo ejá”, means “mother whose children are like fish”.

This Wednesday, February 2nd, the day of the orixá is celebrated all over Brazil. In view of this, the general coordinator of the Amazon Articulation of Traditional Peoples of African Matrix (Aratrama), father Alberto Jorge, reminds us that Iemanjá is the deity of the waters, not only of the seas.

“She is a female divinity that has a great importance, because she is one of the oldest and because she is the mother of other divinities. She is linked to the element of water, regardless of whether it is salty or fresh”, she explains.

“Because of the publicity around the sea, the custom and thought that Yemanjá is queen of the sea was created, when in reality the sea has another divinity, but the common sense remains. In fact, Yemanjá is the mother of the waters of the freshwater rivers. She is not only the provider of fish, but she is the mother who gives fresh water to quench our thirst”.

Yemanjá’s Day coincides with the festival of Our Lady of the Temple, of the Catholic Church, who is also venerated under the titles of Our Lady of Light, of Candlemas, of Candles, of Sailors, protector of mariners and fishermen, among others. Devotees of the orixá usually offer her flowers, jewelry, perfume bottles, soaps, mirrors, and food. The colors of Iemanjá’s garments are blue and white, the same color as the mantle of the mother of Jesus.

“To be an orixá is to be, above all, a divine force of nature: wind, water, fire, air, lightning, river, forest. They are parts of a greater God, they are divine elements of nature, and these forces are within us”. And people guided by Yemanja usually have welcoming characteristics, according to father Alberto Jorge.

“Following the Jungian proposal, people who are born under this force have very specific characteristics, which creates the connection with this divinity. Iemanjá is the great mother who welcomes. So, those people who are ruled by this deity have this maternal characteristic of welcoming. On the negative side, it is said that people ruled by Iemanjá are very fond of gossip, confusion, and whispering. But there is not only one force of expression, so there are many other ways.

Religious Intolerance

The Feast of Iemanjá brings into question the fight against religious intolerance. Sociologist Marcelo Seráfico raises the issue that the problem is still a reality present in society in general. The question that arises is to know why and how this conduct is maintained.

“We can hardly answer this question without evaluating the way in which the politically, economically, and culturally dominant layers of society, over time, maintained the objective conditions of exploitation of the heirs of slavery”, he highlights.

“We need to understand how, after more than a century, worldviews and relationships rooted in the 19th century remain as something that structures the conduct, the action, of the upper strata of society, with repercussions on other social strata, layers, and classes”, he added.

Diversity

To celebrate the date, Articulação recorded a special two-hour program, which will be aired on February 2nd, on the YouTube of Toy Badé Socio-Cultural Development Association. “Iemanjá is also the mother of diversity”, this was the theme of the dialogue that took place on Saturday, the 29th, and that was recorded by Toy Badé Socio-Cultural Development Association and Aratrama, with the support of the Amazonas State Secretary of Culture and Creative Economy.