Festa de Yemanjá

Yemanjá is the mother of the Orishas, often associated with the sea, motherhood, fertility, and protection. The Yemanjá Festival (or Festa de Yemanjá) in Salvador, Brazil, pays homage to this prominent Yoruba deity venerated in the Afro-Brazilian religion of Candomblé and takes place annually on February 2nd.

The history of the Yemanjá Festival in Salvador dates back to the colonial period. Enslaved Africans were stripped of much but carried in their hearts and minds their religious beliefs and practices.  Although Yemanjá, originally worshiped by the Yoruba people in West Africa, it became syncretized with various Catholic figures during the process of religious syncretism in Brazil. In Candomblé, Yemanjá is often identified with the Catholic figure of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, whose feast day is also celebrated on February 2nd.

The festival itself involves elaborate ceremonies, rituals, and processions that take place along the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, particularly at the Rio Vermelho neighborhood in Salvador. Devotees of Yemanjá, dressed in white attire, gather to offer gifts and sacrifices to the her, including flowers, perfumes, jewelry, and other items symbolizing fertility, prosperity, and protection. These offerings are placed in small boats or rafts and set adrift on the sea as offerings to Yemanjá.