Yemọja

How to recognise Yemọja

1. Blue-and-white skirtsLook for a long dress of layered skirts in blue and white, ruffled like waves, often with seven tiers for the seven seas.
2. Blue and whiteThese are her colours, with crystal beads and silver also belonging to her, so blue and white dominate her images and altars.
3. SevenSeven is her number, seen in the seven layers of her skirt and in the seven waves many people jump for her at New Year in Rio.
4. Sea and shoreWaves, a shoreline or open water around her show her as the sea orisha of Cuba and Brazil, and the river orisha of the Ogun in Nigeria.
5. Shells and moonSeashells, cowries, pearls, conch shells and a crescent moon are among her symbols, and fishnets and miniature boats appear on her altars.
6. Silver fanSome descriptions give her a silver fan, the abebe, as part of her appearance.
7. Mother and childIn some images she is a crowned mother in blue and white holding a child, close to altar images of Our Lady of Regla, or an old carved woman nursing a baby, as in the Ogunleki shrine statue in Ibadan.
8. The mermaidThe Sirena, a mermaid, is a much-loved popular form of Yemayá, though it is not her only form.

Names and titles

• Mother of WatersHer best-known title: she owns the waters, river and sea
• Mother Whose Children Are the FishThe meaning of her name, Yeyé Ọmọ Ẹja
• Queen of the SeaRainha do Mar, as devotees in Brazil call Iemanjá
• Who Helped Make HumankindIn Yoruba stories she helps Ọbàtálá create humans
• Seven Waves at the New YearAt New Year in Rio people jump seven waves and offer white flowers to her

Feast days

• Festa de Iemanjá2 February, every year

  The great public festival of Iemanjá, queen of the sea, on the beach at Rio Vermelho in Salvador, Bahia. Candomblé devotees keep it on the day Catholics honour Our Lady of Navigators.

  How it's celebrated. Devotees from Candomblé, Umbanda and Catholicism bring flowers, gifts and written requests to the Casa de Iemanjá, where fishermen of the local colony organise the offerings. The main gift is taken out to sea by boat with a Candomblé priestess, followed by many other boats. Many wear white and blue, and street celebrations follow.

  Sources: Alô Alô Bahia: Festa de Iemanjá no Rio Vermelho · Wikipedia (pt): Festa de Iemanjá · Wikipedia: Yemọja

• Dia de Iemanjá (Umbanda)15 August, every year

  A day on which many Umbanda houses, above all in Rio de Janeiro and in Fortaleza, salute Iemanjá, the Queen of the Sea. It coincides with a Marian feast in mid-August.

  How it's celebrated. Terreiros hold their own ceremonies, and in Fortaleza devotees also gather on beaches. Sources link the date to Our Lady of Glory or of the Assumption, depending on the house. Less is recorded about it than about the February festival, and the date varies by region and community.

  Sources: Joia Mística Laroyê: Dia de Iemanjá, 15 de agosto · Áfricas: Festa de Iemanjá, União e Espiritualidade · Quillbot: Dia de Iemanjá

• Yemayá and Our Lady of Regla7 September, every year

  The feast of Yemayá, owner of the salt waters and most maternal of the orishas, kept in Lucumí/Santería alongside Our Lady of Regla, patroness of sailors and protector of Havana's bay. Practitioners treat the two as distinct figures joined by long association.

  How it's celebrated. In Regla, across the bay from Havana, crowds gather around September 7 and 8 for the Virgin's church and for Yemayá. Lucumí practitioners bring fruit, molasses and flowers to shrines and to the sea, and wear blue and white. In 2026 the community of Colón, Matanzas, held its first public procession for the day. Customs differ between houses.

  Sources: OnCuba: Regla with Yemayá · CiberCuba: Virgin of Regla and Yemayá, September 7 · CiberCuba: Virgin of Regla in Colón, Matanzas

• Dia de Iemanjá (Our Lady of the Conception)8 December, every year

  A day for Iemanjá kept by many Umbanda houses on the Brazilian coast, especially in São Paulo state. It falls on the Catholic feast of Our Lady of the Conception, with which she is paired in some places.

  How it's celebrated. On the São Paulo coast, notably Praia Grande and the Baixada Santista, thousands gather over several December days for processions, songs and dances near her statue. Vehicles decorated in blue and white travel down to the shore. Rio's Umbanda houses more often keep August 15, so this date varies by region and community. In Salvador, a December 8 feast also honours Our Lady of the Conception.

  Sources: Wikipedia (pt): Festa de Iemanjá · Áfricas: Festa de Iemanjá, União e Espiritualidade · Journeying to the Goddess: Goddess Iemanja

• Iemanjá Night at New Year31 December, every year

  The night of December 31, when Brazilians gather on the beaches to greet the new year and honour Iemanjá, queen of the sea. People of many faiths, and of none, join Candomblé and Umbanda devotees in the custom.

  How it's celebrated. Crowds dress in white and offer flowers, candles and small boats to the sea, with wishes for the year ahead. Many also jump seven waves. At Copacabana the practice is traced to Candomblé and Umbanda devotees. Some devotees make their main offerings a few days earlier, around December 29.

  Sources: Wikipedia: New Year's Eve in Copacabana · Spokesman-Review: Keep the Sea Goddess Happy · DailyWorldCulture: Why Brazilians Wear White