Iemanjá: Security and Peacefulness, Traits a Mother Portrays

Her Story

Candomblé, the belief of many different gods (orishas), is the religion that most Brazilians follow. The orishas possess different powers that followers dance to and make sacrifices to in order for a god to fulfill a request that people make to an orisha. Among these orisha is one named Iemanjá. Before there was any type of human life on earth, its surface was covered with purely water. Once Iemanjá arrived, life started to exist on earth, and that is why most consider her the mother of everyone. She, however, was not the first orisha because her parents are Obatalá and Oduduá, who were the creators of the earth and sent their daughter to create life. As depicted in the photo above, Iemanjá is part of the ocean, and she is giving birth to many beings.

Colors and Symbols of Iemanjá
This orisha represents the ocean and motherhood. Her colors respectfully are variations of blue and white. The blue represents security in the corrupted world most of us live in today. She is calming, and her blue color symbol keeps bad spirits from entering the community. This represents her motherly authority to make everyone feel safe. The dark blue which is the color of her hair represents intelligence, stability and unity. Once again, these are characteristics that a mother holds, which is what Iemanjá is. The white, although hardly used in this painting, represents purity and cleanliness. This color also stands for royalty and deities, which are what Iemanjá is. People that follow Candomblé worship and send sacrifices and offerings to Iemanjá on Saturdays, which is regarded as her holy day. The precious metal that is associated with Iemanjá is silver. In the picture she is shown wearing silver jewelry such as bracelets, an arm band, a necklace and earrings. She is most often seen holding a silver mirror in which she can see herself. Followers of Candomblé most often dance in her name making the sign of a mirror in their hands. Iemanjá, as previously stated, is goddess of the seas. Because high and low tides of the ocean depend on the phases of the moon, Iemanjá is shown with some type of implication of the moon.

Family Ties
It is so written that Iemanja is the divine mother. She is the mother to most of the orisha, with the exception of Exu and the father to her children, Aganju. Her most well known son is Xango, he is known as The New King. He and his father, Aganju, The Old King, had an interesting relationship that legends talk about. Iemanjá however, does not have to be the birth mother to care after a child. She loves children and treats them all equally. The same goes for Iemanjá’s children. They may not have many biological kids of their own, but they will care for children as if they were the biological mother or father. Iemanjá like the rest of her kids (or the rest of the orisha) have many similar parenting techniques. They do not forgive offenses that easily. A child must learn to behave and be calm in order for the mother to be forgiving.

Her Grand Festival
Iemanjá is the mother of everyone and the divine being of the seas. Her festival, therefore, is fairly important which means that it is a big party in the streets of Brazil. The followers of Candomblé in Rio de Janeiro make her party on the last day of the year. This is because people like to honor her on New Year’s Day in order for her to bring in a good year for the citizens of the city. They dance, sing and dress in different clothing to honor Iemanjá . People make many offerings for Iemanjá. These offerings include, flowers, gifts, perfume, rice, and watermelon. Followers either send their gifts out in little hand-crafted boats, or they might just toss their offerings right into the water for Iemanjá.


Costumes
Followers of Candomblé that wish to honor Iemanjá have a distinct costume. They wear her colors which are light blue, white and silver. People that dance in her name try to portray her as much as possible. This lady is seen wearing a light blue, flowing dress that represents the ocean. Her hair is also dark, which is the color of Iemanjá’s hair. Her jewelry also is a representation of the Brazilian deity. The silver is the metal of Iemanjá, and this lady is seen wearing it in order to honor the orisha. The people in the background are wearing white which represents the purity of Iemanjá. They do whatever they can in order to honor this deity which may be among the highest regarded in the Candomblé religion. The dances they do to honor Iemanjá contain many water-like movements. These include movement in the arms, and entire body. People that dance for Iemanjá also spin around. All these moves represent the ocean in respect toward Iemanjá.

Conclusion
Iemanjá is looked at as being the mother to all. Her parents put her here in order to make life on earth and look after the seas. Many of her followers dance, make sacrifices and offerings, and dress in costumes that honor her. This is because everyone wants there to be peace on the seas that way they can have a means of survival. Both women and men hold Iemanjá on a very high pedestal. This is because she is looked at as a mother and she controls the seas. If she is upset, the ocean becomes a place that is very violent and if sailors are out to sea, or fishermen are out to fish, it is likely that they will not return. It is hard to upset Iemanjá, so she keeps things peaceful most of the time because she cares for her children greatly. Iemanjá’s festivals are held all year round in order to keep her happy, and people dress and dance just to honor her.

written by:

Arazely Montano