Eleggua

Èṣù (other names include Exu, Eshu Eleggua, Esu Elegbara, Eshu Elegbara, Elegba, Legba, Papa Legba and Eleda) is both anorisha and one of the most well-known deities of Yorùbá religion and related New World traditions.

He has a wide range of responsibilities: the protector of travelers, deity of roads, particularly crossroads, the deity with the power over fortune and misfortune, and the personification of death, a psychopomp. Èṣù is involved within the Orisha-Ifá system of Yorùbá religion as well as in African diasporic faiths like Santería/Lukumi and Candomblé developed by the descendants of enslaved West Africans in the Americas, where Èṣù was and is still sometimes identified with Anthony of Padua, Saint Michael or Santo Niño de Atocha, depending on the situation or location. He is often identified by the number three, and the colours red & black or white & black, and his caminos or paths (compare: Avatar) are often represented carrying a cane or shepherd's crook, as well as smoking a pipe.

Èṣù is a spirit of Chaos and Trickery, and plays frequently by leading mortals to temptation and possible tribulation in the hopes that the experience will lead ultimately to their maturation. In this way he is certainly a difficult teacher, but in the end is usually found to be a good one. As an example of this, let us look at one of his patakis or stories of the faith. Èṣù was walking down a road one day, wearing a hat that was red on one side and black on the other. Sometime after he entered a village which the road went through, the villagers who had seen him began arguing about whether the stranger's hat was black or red. The villagers on one side of the road had only been capable of seeing the black side, and the villagers on the other side had only been capable of seeing the red one. They soon came to blows over the disagreement which caused him to turn back and rebuke them, revealing to them how one's perspective can be as correct as another person's even when they appear to be diametrically opposed to each other. He then left them with a stern warning about how closed-mindedness can cause one to be made a fool. In other versions of this tale, the two halves of the village were not stopped short of extreme violence; they actually annihilated each other, and Èṣù laughed at the result, saying "Bringing strife is my greatest joy".

In Brazil, the female counterpart of Exus are called Pomba Gira. Èṣùs are constantly related to Hermes/Mercury for their heraldic function.

  

Èṣù in different cultures

• Exu de Quimbanda: The Exu who is the messenger of the deities in Candomblé is not Exu de Quimbanda. Exu de Quimbanda has a few similarities in how he is worshipped, such as in the colours he likes, but he is an entirely different entity, originating among the people of Angola, not the Yoruba of Nigeria. While the Exu de Candomblé is an Orisha, the Exu of Quimbanda is like a Lordly or Kingly Spirit, and unlike the Candomblé Orishas, he can be "bought" or "controlled" by the Quimbanda practitioner to go and do many sorts of deeds, while the Candomblé Exu must only be petitioned. Exu de Quimbanda is a Nkuru, a spirit of the forest, while Exu of Candomblé is a universal elemental spirit, the spirit of the crossroads and the divine messenger. The similarities between the two are that they both respond to red and black, they both are fed on the road, and they both are very tricky. Beyond that, the similarities cease.

• Eleggua: Eleggua is another name used among Lukumi for Èṣù. His divine number is 3.
• Elegba or Elegbara: in Nigeria and the West of Cuba
• Legba: In Vodou, Papa Legba is the intermediary between the divine and humanity, while Kalfu is his Petro manifestation.
• Leba: In Surinamese Winti, leba is the spirit of the streets and crossroads. This spirit cleans the path clean for other spirits. And also cleans the path clean for the believers.
• Lucero: In Palo Mayombe, Lucero (also Nkuyo\Mañunga\Lubaniba) is the deity of balance and guidance through paths.
• Esu: In Yorubaland, this is an energy that rose out of the Yangi (sacred red rock) and allows people to communicate with the Irunmole, Orisa, Orunmila, and so on. This is essentially the oldest Esu. Also important in the African diaspora.
• "Èṣù": in the play A Tempest (1969), by Aimé Césaire of Martinique, Èṣù is the virile trickster who comes to sing defiant songs laden with sexual innuendo and add humor to this highly political rewriting of Shakespeare's classic play, The Tempest.

  Roads of Eshu-Elegba in Santería

• Eshu-Elegba in Cuban Santería tradition has 101 different roads, or manifestations. Some of his best known are:
  • Eshu Añiki
  • Eshu Laroye
  • Eshu Alagwana
  • Eshu Modubela
  • Eshu Kilalu
  • Eshu Bararaki/Bararikikeño
  • Eshu Ocuboro
  • Eshu Afra
  • Eshu Mike
  • Eshu Bi
  • Eshu Tulu
  • Eshu Agosole
  • Eshu Alabode
  • Eshu Beleke
  • Eshu Onibode
  • Eshu Myulu
  • Eshu Otole
  • Eshu Miwa
  • Eshu Osika
  • Eshu Araibode
  • Eshu Yemi
  • Eshu Aye
  • Eshu Ocholforo
  • Eshu Wonke
  • Elegua opens and closes the road or way for us in life. He stands in the crossroads and 4 corners. No ceremony is started without paying tribute to him first. He takes many forms and has many names. He is considered a trickster and can be a difficult teacher when there is a lesson needed to be learned.
  • There are said to be 256 roads or paths of Esu/Elegua. These paths correspond to the 256 Odu in Ifa. Many have not made it to the New World with the slaves. They remained in Nigeria. No priest or priestess in the Yoruba/Lucumi faith is without an Esu/Elegua. Each person who receives an Elegua receives one specific to their path and needs. Divination is done to determine what path of Elegua is to be given to the person. Elegua is one of the few orishas that you don't have to be fully initiated to receive. One can be an aleyo, outsider (literal translation) or not initiated and receive and Esu/Elegua if they have issues he can help with. This is one of the aspects that what makes Elegua so unique.
  • He is a very complicated deity. He is known as one that can create confusion very easily. So he always has to be pampered and treated with reverence to avoid hassles created on his behalf. Anytime there is a sacrifice or ceremony he has to be given something first. He is the appropriator of ceremonies. Without Elegua being acknowledged first chances are the outcome desired in a ceremony will not come to fruition. He is considered one of the primary Warriors given in the Ibora or set of Warriors given by a Babalawo. A Babalawo is an Ifa priest initiated in the secrets of Ifa. He gives the set of Warriors to those who need it. The warriors in the Diaspora consist of Elegua, Ogun, Ochosi and Osun. In Nigeria Osun is not given with the warriors. Priests and Priestesses of Orisha may give Elegua to their godchildren but not the whole set of warriors. It is with this Elegua the godchild is initiated to Orisha with when they decide to get initiated.

Obatala

In the religion of the Yoruba people, Obàtálá is the creator of human bodies, which were supposedly brought to life by Olorun's breath. Obàtálá is also the owner of all ori or heads. Any orisha may lay claim to an individual, but until that individual is initiated into the priesthood of that orisha, Obàtálá still owns that head. This stems from the belief that the soul resides in the head.

Obatala (king of White Cloth) is said to be the Olorun's second son, by others to be merely one of Olorun's favorite Orisha. He is the one authorized by Olorun to create land over the water beneath the sky, and it is he who founds the first Yoruba city, Ife. Obatala is Olorun's representative on earth and the shaper of human beings. He is known to some Yoruba as Orisha-Nla or Olufon.

IN ILE IFE: THE DYING AND RISING GOD:

According to mythical stories Obatala is the eldest of all orisha and was granted authority to create the earth. Before he could return to heaven and report to Olodumare however, his rival Oduduwa (also called Oduwa, Oodua, Odudua or Eleduwa) and younger brother usurped his position by taking the satchel and created in his stead the earth on the Primeval Ocean. A great feud ensued between the two that is re-enacted every year in the Itapa festival in Ile Ife, Nigeria. Ultimately, Oduduwa and his sons were able to rule with Obatala's reluctant consent.

It appears from the cult dramas of the Itapa festival that Obatala was a dying and rising god. He left his Temple in the town on the seventh day of the festival, stayed in his grove outside the town on the eighth day and returned in a great procession to his Temple on the ninth day. The three-day rhythm of descent into the netherworld and subsequent resurrection on the third day shows the closeness of Obatala to the pre-canonical Israelite Yahweh and the figure of Jesus.

IN IFA: ESSENCE OF CLARITY:

In Ifa, Obatala energy is the essence of Clarity. Within the myriad of kaleidoscopic energies that comprise our universe, the energy of Clarity is critically important. It is Clarity that allows us to make the right decisions, to differentiate right from wrong and perhaps most importantly, to see the other energies as they truly are! All the tales, or pataki, of Obatala, are designed to illuminate this reality.

Obatala is always referred to as The Orisa of the white cloth. White, in this sense, forms a perfect background for correctly seeing and identifying that which is around you. White is also viewed as a sign of purity, but, too often, thanks to the pernicious (sounds more opinion influenced than scientific) Christian Missionary influence on the Yoruba philosophy, this idea of purity has religious or moral implications. Instead, purity is another aspect of Clarity for this energy is unblemished, pure in its ability to discern. The moral judgment of Obatala is not based on this sense of Christian purity, but rather on this energies absolute ability to see clearly the total spectrum of energies or issues involved. Obatala is often seen as the Wise Old Man. Again, age and wisdom are simply representative aspects of increased clarity and judgment. Obatala is seen as the King of the Orisa. Again, this is not a power struggle or ego issue, this is simply a way of pointing out that Clarity of purpose, destiny and behavior will always take precedence when confusion or disagreement exists. Obatala is also viewed as the Judge. Obatala is said to have been the Molder of men. What more important aspect in our creation could be the imparting of Clarity into our being? When drinking too much Palm Wine dulled that Clarity, Obatala is said to have created deformed and handicapped people. This is pictured as his "fall from grace." That Red Palm oil is never placed on Obatala is another example of this. The Pure clarity must remain clear and unblemished. That Obatala represents the Head is consistent. It is from the mind that Clarity will come forth. Each and every tale is simply a way of expressing Oludumare's creation of this essential energy the energy of Clarity. For the Obatala child the expression and use of this primary energy is complex. The Obatala child will see a world of black and white. No Gray. To an Obatala child things are either right or wrong there is no middle ground.

According to mythical stories, Obatala created people with disabilities while drunk on palm wine, making him the patron deity of such people. People born with congenital defects are called eni orisa: literally, "people of Obatala". He is also referred to as the orisha of the north. He is always dressed in white, hence the meaning of his name, Obatala (King or ruler of the white cloth). His devotees strive to practice moral correctness as unblemished as his robe. They never worship Obatala with palm wine, palm oil or salt. They may eat palm oil and salt, but never taste palm wine.

ORIKI (PRAISE NAMES)

• Oluwa Aiye or Oluwa Aye - Lord of the Earth
• Alabalase - He who has divine authority
• Baba Arugbo - Old Master or Father
• Baba Araye - Master or Father of all human beings (lit. citizens of the earth)
• Orisanla (also spelt Orisainla, Orishanla or Orishainla) or Oshanla - The arch divinity

• OBATALA'S WIVES

• Yemoo (known as Yembo in Cuba)
• Yemaya
• Igbin (who became a drum still played for him)

IN SANTERÍA

Obàtálá has been syncretized with Our Lady of Mercy.

OTHER NAMES

• Obatalá
• Osala
• Oshala
• Oxalá
• Orisala
• Orishala
• Orixalá

• PATHS

• Ayagunna
• Ocha Griñan
• Oba Moro
• Oba Lofun
• Baba Acho
• Yeku Yeku
• Orisha Aye (Orisa Aiye, Orixa Aiye, Orisha Aye, Orisa Aye, Orisha Aye)
• Alaguema
• Obanla
• Osanla
• Oshanla
• Ochanla
• Osalufon
• Oshalufon
• Ochalufon
• Traditional Colors: White
  Number: 8
  Areas of Influence: Knowledge, Leadership, Fatherhood, Justice and the legal system, Geology, People who are handicapped, the military
  Entities associated with: Our Lady of Mercy
  Symbols: Mountains, snail shells, short whip made with white horsehair and cowrie shells, quartz crystals, white rocks, frogs, white animals
  Offerings: White bland food (either the meat or the milk of a coconut, potatoes, eggs, rice, mushrooms, milk, water, etc), crushed up egg shells, cotton, snail shells, frankincense, myrrh or sandalwood incense, tobacco
  Feast Day: September 24th
  Astrology: Libra
  Tarot: Justice, the Emperor
  Chakra: Crown
  Gemstones: Quartz crystal, howlite, chalcedony, lead crystal, diamonds, ivory
  Animals: Snails, Elephants, Egrets, Blue Herons, Bald Eagles, Snow monkeys, Cotton-top Tamarin monkeys
  Entities of Similar Energy: Tyr, Odin (as All-father), Ra, Damballah
• Plants associated with: Garlic, hyssop, sage
  
  
• Obatala is the father figure of the Orishas. He is also the chief and judge. He is very wise and compassionate. Obatala is married to Yemaya, the ocean goddess and mother-figure of the Orishas. They have been married a very long time and have many children. According to traditional Santeria belief, Obatala is the father of human beings. However, while making humans from the earth, Obatala got thirsty and began to drink some palm wine. He got drunk and started to make some of the humans deformed. After he sobered up, he realized what he had done and he swore from that day forward he never drink and that he would take special care of people who are handicapped.
• When Obatala was younger, he was very bold and brash. He was a strong warrior who saw a lot of horrible things on the battlefield. All of those experiences tempered him. Now, he is an Orisha who works for peace. As judge, Obatala is very much involved with issues of justice and law (man-made or karmic). He will be involved in any kind of court case or legal issue. However, you should not ask him to get involved in a legal case if you are guilty unless you are willing to face your punishment. Obatala also rules karmic justice. If a karmic injustice has been committed or if you need to make amends for something you have done, than go to him for help. Obatala teaches us to fight for what is right and to take responsibility for what we have done wrong.

  PROPERLY SHOWING RESPECT TO OBATALA

  First and foremost, do not ever offer him alcohol. If you are doing a group offering and other deities are getting alcohol, the set up his offering in a different place. He likes his offerings on Sundays and you should make sure his altar is clean. It would be best if you can serve him on a white piece of cloth. Do not serve him any food that is too hot or spicy. Traditionally, any food you offer him should have cotton on top of it (take a real cotton ball and pull it apart like a spider web and then place it over the food). Be honest. Take responsibility for your mistakes. If you are a father, be a great dad.

  WHERE TO FIND OBATALA

  Churches, universities, libraries, state/national parks and forests, the mountains, the military.

  OBATALA’S CHILDREN

  The children of Obatala are intellectual, methodical organizers. They like to think their decisions through. They have strong ideas of what is right and wrong. They hold themselves to high standards. They can also be neurotic clean freaks. Many times, children of Obatala are impetuous and hot-headed when younger and then grow up to be cool, calm adults. They can suffer from frequent headaches or sinus problems and do not hold their liquor well. Many times they will be drawn to legal, military or careers involving geology and/or engineering. They like to get outdoors. Normally, their relationships (romantic and otherwise) will be very long-term. They are slow to anger but watch out when they do, it’s going to get ugly! Many times if Obatala is your father, than Yemaya is your mother.
• The Orisha Obatala is central to the creation myth of the ancient Yoruba cultures of West Africa, where he is also manifest in the "white gods" of creativity and justice: Orishanla, Oshala, Oshagiyan, Oshalufon, Orisha Oko, and Osha Funfun. He also provides the moral purpose of the historical king Shango, the Orisha of lightning and thunder. Obatala is said to have descended from heaven on a chain to mould the first humans and indeed to mould every child in the womb, although he is only one aspect of Olodumare, the Almighty God, who alone can breathe life into the creations of Obatala.

A saint among saints and the archetypal spirit of creativity, Obatala has been carried to many cultures of the New World, where for centuries he has been honored as the patron of children, childbirth, albinos, and anyone with a birthmark. In the New World as in the Old it is said, "Obatala marks his children."

 

In Yoruba Oba means "king" and tala [ala] is undyed fabric, the blank canvas, which is why the King of the White Cloth is said to be a tranquil judge. Obatala is honored with brilliant white cloth, white lace, white beads and cowries, white flowers, silver coins, and silver jewelry. He is honored with white hens, snails, white melon soup, pounded yams, and other white food such as eko, fermented corn wrapped in plantain leaves. His priests and priestesses wear only white, although his warrior avatars Ajaguna & Obamoro add a dash of blood red. Ochosi, the Orisha of the hunt is Obatala's scout and surveyor and guards an inner court of the alter of Obatala in the ancient city of Ile Ife.

 

The gentle Obatala is associated with honesty, purpose, purity, peace, the New Year, forgiveness, and resurrection, which is why some authorities associate him with Christ and the Egyptian Osiris. As the divinity of created form, "the old man" is the patron saint of artists, called the Divine Sculptor. He is also called Alamo Re Re, the One Who Turns Blood Into Children. He is Alabalashe, the Wielder of the Scepter of Life, and he is O Ho Ho, the Father of Laughter, "Who sits in the sky like a swarm of bees."

Shango

In the Yorùbá religion, Ṣàngó ( also spelled, Sango or Shango, often known as Xangô or Changó in Latin America and the Caribbean, and also known as Jakuta (from '=shan, 'to strike') is perhaps one of the most popular Orisha; also known as the god of fire, lightning and thunder. Shango is historically a royal ancestor of the Yoruba as he was the third king of the Oyo Kingdom prior to his posthumous deification. In the Lukumí (Olokun mi = "my dear one") religion of the Caribbean, Shango is considered the center point of the religion as he represents the Oyo people of West Africa, the symbolic ancestors of the adherents of the faith. All the major initiation ceremonies (as performed in Cuba, Trinidad, Puerto Rico and Venezuela for the last few hundred years) are based on the traditional Shango ceremony of Ancient Oyo. This ceremony survived the Middle Passage and is considered to be the most complete to have arrived on Western shores. This variation of the Yoruba initiation ceremony became the basis of all Orisha initiations in the West.

Following Oduduwa, Oranyan and Ajaka, Shango (or Jakuta) was the third Alafin (king) of Oyo. In Johnston's mythological account of racial heroes and kings, contrary to his peaceful brother Ajaka, he was a powerful and even violent ruler. Moreover, he is said to have had supernatural forces because he could produce thunder and lightning. He reigned for seven years, the whole of which period was marked by his continuous campaigns and his many battles. The end of his reign resulted from his own inadvertent destruction of his palace by lightning.

The religious ritual of Shango was possibly designed in order to help the devotees of Shango gain self-control. Shango's beads tell the story of "his" essence, the logic of Obatala (white) alternating in balance with the fire of Aganyu (red) in passion towards some goal. Historically, Shango brought prosperity to the Oyo Empire during his reign. After his deification, the initiation ceremony of the cult of his memory dictates that this same prosperity be bestowed upon followers, on a personal level. According to Yoruba and Vodou belief systems, Shango hurls bolts of lightning at the people chosen to be his followers, leaving behind imprints of stone axe blades on the Earth's crust. These blades can be seen easily after heavy rains. Veneration of Shango enables—according to Yoruba belief—a great deal of power and self-control.

Shango altars often contain an often-seen carved figure of a woman holding her bosom as a gift to the god with a single double-blade axe sticking up from her head. The axe symbolizes that this devotee is possessed by Shango. The woman's expression is calm and cool, expressing the qualities she has gained through her faith.

Shango is venerated in Haitian Vodou, as a god of thunder and weather; in Brazilian Candomblé Ketu (under the name Xangô).

In art, Sango is depicted with a double-axe on his three heads. He is associated with the holy animal, the ram, and the holy colors of red and white.

"Shango usurped the duties of an older deity, Jakuta, who hurled fire stones to punish people when they acted against the wishes of Olodumare, the Supreme God". The name "Jakuta, "Hurler of stones", or "Fighter with stones" (Ja to hurl from aloft, ... and okuta, stone)" is an allusion to "stone implements ... believed to be his thunderbolts." Jakuta was "associated with a fellowship of meteorites".

Shango, like other Orishas have many implements. His colours are red and white, his numbers are four (4) and six (6) and he wields a double-headed axe. Thunderstones, are often found at the site where lightning from Shango has struck earth, most usually a tree. It is said that Shango creates thunder and lightning by casting these stones to the ground. Wherever lightning strikes, priests search the surrounding area for the thrown stone which usually has a double-headed axe shape, like his weapon. These "thunderstones" are believed to have mystical power based on Shango and are often placed in his temples and shrines. 

Saint Barbara - Catholic saint used as representation Shango in Santería. 

The god of thunder and the ancestor of the Yoruba people of Nigeria. He is the son of  Yemaja the mother goddess and protector of birth. Shango (Xango) has three wives: Oya, who stole Shango's secrets of magic; Oschun, the river goddess who is Shango's favorite because of her culinary abilities; and Oba, who tried to win his love by offering her ear for him to eat. He sent her away in anger and she became the river Oba, which is very turbulent where it meets the river Oschun.

Shango is portrayed with a double axe on his head (the symbol of thunder), with six eyes and sometimes with three heads. His symbolic animal is the ram, and his favorite colors are red and white, which are regarded as being holy. In Brazil, Shango is worshipped as a thunder and weather god by the Umbandists. In Santeria, Shango (Chango) is the equivalent of the Catholic saint St. Barbara.

Shango was once the fourth king of Yoruba, immortalized after death.

Perhaps the most 'popular' of the orishas, Shangó rules over lightning, thunder, fire, the drums and dance. He is a warrior orisha with quick wits, quick temper and is the epitomy of virility. Shangó took the form of the fourth Alafin (supreme king) of Oyó on Earth for a time. He is married to Obba but has relations with Oyá and Oshún. He is an extremely hot blooded and strong-willed orisha that loves all the pleasures of the world: dance, drumming, women, song and eating. He is ocanani with Elegguá, meaning they are of one heart. When sees the quickness with which lightning makes short work of a tree or a fire rage through an area, one has witnessed the temper of Shangó in action. Though he traded the Table of Ifá to Orunmila in exchange for the gift of dance, his children have an innate ability for divination. To acknowledge the greatness of this king, all in the religion raise up on the toes of our feet (or rise out our chairs if we are sitting) at the mention of his name. His colors are red and white and he recognises himself in the numbers four and six. He is most often represented by a double headed axe.

Prayer for Shango: Shangó obá adé oko, obá ina, Alafin Oyó aché o

Yemanja is an orisha, originally of the Yoruba religion, who has become prominent in many Afro-American religions. Africans from what is now called Yorubaland brought Yemaya/Yemoja and a host of other deities/energy forces in nature with them when they were brought to the shores of the Americas as captives. She is the ocean, the essence of motherhood, and a protector of children.

Because the Afro-American religions were transmitted as part of a long oral tradition, there are many regional variations on the goddess's name. She is represented with Our lady of Regla and Stella Maris.

• Africa: Yemoja, Ymoja, Yemowo, Mami Wata
• Brazil: Yemanjá, Iemanjá, Janaína
• Cuba: Yemaya, Yemayah, Iemanya
• Haiti: La Sirène, LaSiren (in Vodou)
• USA: Yemalla, Yemana, Yemoja
• Uruguay: Iemanjá
• Dominican Republic: Yemalla or La Diosa del mar (sea goddess)

In some places, Yemaja is syncretized with other deities:

• Diosa del Mar
• Mami Wata
• La Sirene (lit. "The Mermaid")

Yemeya is the mother of all mothers of Saint Lázaro. She also is the spirit of water, and her favorite number is 7. 

In Yorùbá mythology, Yemoja is a mother goddess; patron deity of women, especially pregnant women; and the Ogun river. Her parents are Oduduwa and Obatala. There are many stories as to how she became the mother of all saints. She was married to Aganju and had one son, Orungan, and fifteen Orishas came forth from her. They include Ogun, Olokun, Shopona and Shango. Other stories would say that Yemaya was always there in the beginning and all life came from her, including all of the orishas.

Her name is a contraction of Yoruba words: "Yeye omo eja" that mean "Mother whose children are like fish." This represents the vastness of her motherhood, her fecundity and her reign over all living things.

Yemaya is celebrated in Ifá tradition as Yemoja. As Iemanja Nana Borocum, or Nana Burku, she is pictured as a very old woman, dressed in black and mauve, connected to mud, swamps, earth. Nana Buluku is an ancient god in Dahomey mythology. 

The goddess is known as Yemanjá, Iemanjá or Janaína in Brazilian Candomblé and Umbanda religions.

The Umbanda religion worships Iemanjá as one of the seven orixás of the African Pantheon. She is the Queen of the Ocean, the patron deity of the fishermen and the survivors of shipwrecks, the feminine principle of creation and the spirit of moonlight. A syncretism happens between the catholic Nossa Senhora dos Navegantes (Our Lady of the Seafaring) and the orixá Iemanjá of the African Mithology. Sometimes, a feast can honor both.

In Salvador, Bahia, Iemanjá is celebrated by Candomblé on the very same day consecrated by the Catholic Church to Our Lady of Seafaring (Nossa Senhora dos Navegantes). Every February 2, thousands of people line up at dawn to leave their offerings at her shrine in Rio Vermelho.

Gifts for Iemanjá usually include flowers and objects of female vanity (perfume, jewelry, combs, lipsticks, mirrors). These are gathered in large baskets and taken out to the sea by local fishermen. Afterwards a massive street party ensues.

Iemanjá is also celebrated every December 8 in Salvador, Bahia. The Festa da Conceição da Praia (Feast to Our Lady of Conception of the church at the beach) is a city holiday dedicated to the Catholic saint and also to Iemanjá. Another feast occurs on this day in the Pedra Furada, Monte Serrat inSalvador, Bahia, called the Gift to Iemanjá, when fishermen celebrate their devotion to the Queen of the Ocean.

Outside Bahia State, Iemanjá is celebrated mainly by followers of the Umbanda religion.

On New Year's Eve in Rio de Janeiro, millions of cariocas, of all religions, dressed in white gather on Copacabana beach to greet the New Year, watch fireworks, and throw (white) flowers and other offerings into the sea for the goddess in the hopes that she will grant them their requests for the coming year. Some send their gifts to Iemanjá in wooden toy boats. Paintings of Iemanjá are sold in Rio shops, next to paintings of Jesus and other Catholicsaints. They portray her as a woman rising out of the sea. Small offerings of flowers and floating candles are left in the sea on many nights at Copacabana.

In São Paulo State, Iemanjá is celebrated in the two first weekends of December on the shores of Praia Grande city. During these days many vehicles garnished with Iemanjá icons and colors (white and blue) roam from the São Paulo mountains to the sea littoral, some of them traveling hundreds of miles. Thousands of people rally near Iemanjá's statue in Praia Grande beach.

In Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul State, on February 2, the image of Nossa Senhora dos Navegantes is carried to the port of Pelotas. Before the closing of the catholic feast, the boats stop and host the Umbanda followers that carry the image of Iemanjá, in a syncretic meeting that is watched by thousand of people on the shore.

She is venerated in Vodou as LaSiren.

In Santería, Yemayá is seen as the mother of all living things as well as the owner of all waters. Her number is 7 (a tie into the seven seas), her colors are blue and white (representing water), and her favorite offerings include melons, molasses ("melaço" is sugar cane syrup), whole fried fishes and pork rinds. She has been syncretized with Our Lady of Regla.

Yemaja has several caminos (paths). At the initiation ceremony known as kariocha, or simply ocha, the exact path is determined through divination. Her paths in Voodoo/Candomble include:

• Ogunte: In this path, she is a warrior, with a belt of iron weapons like Ogun. This path lives by the rocky coastliness. Her colors are crystal, dark blue and some red.
• Asesu: This path is very old. She is said to be deaf and answers her patrons slowly. She is associated with ducks and still or stagnant waters. Her colors are pale blue and coral.
• Okoto: This path is known as the underwater assassin. Her colors are indigo and blood red and her symbolism includes that of pirates.
• Majalewo: This path lives in the forest with the herbalist orisha, Osanyin. She is associated with the marketplace and her shrines are decorated with 21 plates. Her colors are teals and turquoises.
• Ibu Aro: This path is similar to Majalewo in that she is associated with markets, commerce and her shrines are decorated with plates. Her colors are darker; indigo, crystal and red coral. Her crown (and husband) is the orisha Oshumare, the rainbow.
• Ashaba: This path is said to be so beautiful that no human can look at her directly.

In the Congo religions, such as Palo Mayombe, Palo Monte, Kimbisa and Briumba, she is known as Kalunga, Mà Lango or Madré D'Agua—Mother of Waters.

• In 1966, carioca guitarist and composer Baden Powell de Aquino created an "Afro-Samba" which he called "Canto de Iemanjá", which he recorded together with Vinicius de Moraes.
• In 1980, Héctor Lavoe performed "Para Ochún" on his album El Sabio. It featured Willie Colón on trombone and background vocals. The main verse repeats "Para Ochún y Yemaya" over and over.
• In 1994, a house music track was produced, arranged and written by Little Louie Vega and his wife at the time, La India, called "Love & Happiness (Yemaya Y Ochún)" which features a Cuban chant/prayer dedicated Yemaya and her sister Ochún. The song can be found on Cream Classics Volume 2, or Renaissance: The Mix Collection [Disc 1].
• As Yemanja, the goddess is also a very prominent subject of veneration by a Brazilian chef in the 2000 romantic comedy Woman on Top.
• Yemaja, called with her Haitian name Lasirèn, plays an important role in Nalo Hopkinson's novel The Salt Roads.
• In 2009, GaiaOnline released Yemaya's Pearl, an evolving item designed after her.
• In the first episode of Tales of Monkey Island, the Voodoo Lady has a crystal ball she refers to as "The All-Seeing Eye of Yamalla".
• In Helen Oyeyemi's 2007 novel The Opposite House, the frame narrative character is Yemaya or Aya for short, and the protagonist of the novel, who is of African and Cuban descent, is named Maja.
• In the episode of the TNT series Saving Grace titled "Mooooooooo", Yaani King's character is seen apparently making an offering to Yemanjá after Earl transports her to Brazil.
• The novel Keeper makes references to her.
• English rock band Queen Adreena composed a song called "Yemaya" on their debut album Taxidermy.
• In the HBO series True Blood, Season 4 Episode 6, Lafayette heals his boyfriend Jesús while channeling a Hispanic healer saying, "May Yemaya protect and heal you with the waters of the ocean of life. May the waves of her healing energy wash over you."
• The novel The Invisible Mountain makes references to her.
• On May 28th, 2012, Grammy-nominated jazz singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Melody Gardot released her third studio album, "The Absence". Track 11 is entitled, "Iemanjá".

YEMAYA is called the GREAT MOTHER because she is the Mother of many of the ORISHAS. She is also called the great mother due to her great COMPASSION for mankind. 

 She has given us great spiritual peace. She is always there to protect us and nuture us. Her immensity is boundless and so is her compassion. Don't be fooled, she is also a great Warrioress, and defends her children valiantly, just as any good mother would do.