Iemanja

Looking back at my blog and the Lavagem do Bonfim, I was reminded of another summer festival unique to Salvador. In early February--before Carnival--my friend Daryl and I ventured out to see the festival of Iemanja (Yay-mahn-JAH). This festival commemorates the Candomble goddess Iemanja , who is the "mother" goddess of the Candomble orixas (AW-ree-shaws), or saints, and therefore the most revered. She is also the goddess of the sea and is identified by her blue and white dress. She is often pictured holding mirrors to indicate her vanity. During the festival, people offer objects of vanity to the sea to ask for blessings. Mirrors, flowers, perfume, combs, and soaps are among these offerings that are either tossed into the waves--usually the flowers--or taken in baskets to the temple of Iemanja where they are later sent out to sea. Some people hire local fisherman to take them out so they can make their own offerings, or they construct small boats to float out to sea. (One must suspend all judgement of environmental pollution to appreciate the celebration, though the local paper did have a humorous comic the next day of the goddess wading out of the water and coughing up loads of crap onto the beach...) On the beach in Rio Vermelho, near the temple of Iemanja, a variety of Candomble ceremonies are held on both the eve and the day of her commemoration. We arrived at around 8:30a.m. to find offerings, drumming, ceremonies, and celebrations in full swing--surely lasting late into the day and night.