Next: 2 Feb 2027
Festa de Iemanja in Salvador
Devotees of Candomble and many Catholics bring white flowers, perfume and mirrors to the sea at Rio Vermelho, Salvador, for Iemanja, queen of the sea.
About Festa de Iemanja in Salvador
On 2 February thousands gather at Rio Vermelho beach in Salvador, Bahia, to give offerings to Iemanja, the orisha of the sea in Candomble. Fishermen carry gifts of flowers, perfume, combs and mirrors in boats and place them on the water, and the day begins with drumming and songs. Iemanja is identified with Our Lady of Navigators and similar Catholic figures, an example of the syncretism of Afro-Brazilian religion. The date follows the church's Candlemas. People dress in white and blue, and the event is a point of pride for the Afro-Brazilian community. It also draws tourists, which raises the old question of how to separate worship from display.
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Written by the EveryJaadu desk with AI assistance. Background: "Yemọja" on Wikipedia. Customs differ from place to place and family to family, and are described as belief and practice. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Candomblé: André Koehne, CC BY-SA 3.0, source