Yemaya or Yemoja, The water Deity

Last night I was watching one of my favorite TV shows on Netflix “Coisa mas linda” which is set on Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. One of the characters is leaving her home forever, and her father tells her “Yemoja protects you”. Yemaya is very famous in African and Latin American countries, and it is known as a water deity at the Yoruba religion. Yemaya is the spirit of the oceans and rivers, specifically from the Ogun River in Nigeria. Her name in Cuba is Our Lady of Regla, so Yemaya became some sort of a virgin due to the influence of the catholic church. Yemaya is also considered as a mother figure that protects people as if they were its own children. She is also attributed the power to heal infertility in women. It is said that when Yemaya its angered, she can be destructive and violent.

Yemaya is usually depicted as a mermaid, and it is related with the powers of the moon, water and the feminine. She is also known as the protector of women and governs everything associated with feminine life, such as childbirth, child safety and bearing of children. The myth of Yemaya explains that when her water broke, it created a massive flood that created the rivers and streams. It is also believed that the first humans were created from her womb.

Her name is a contraction between three Yoruba words: mother, child and fish, meaning “The mother of fish children”. It is curious that in Africa she is associated with being the mother of rivers, and in Brazil and Cuba she is more known as the goddess of the sea. One of the most famous offerings to this goddess in Brazil are white roses, and Saturdays are the days to commemorate her. People that worships her dresses on light blue and crystal colors, and use crystalline beads and shells. Also, in Brazil she is known as “Our Lady of Navigators” and “Our Lady of the Conception”.

Followers of Yemaya usually have a room or a space dedicated to her with different objects, such as fruits, dishes, porcelain, white medals and coins. So far, it sounds beautiful, but beware that people that practices Santeria or Voodoo make ritual sacrifices with hens, ducks and she-goats during festival days of Yemaya, something that is very common in polytheist religions and that I truly hate and despise because I cannot even kill ants, it makes me feel bad. Many of the rituals to Yemaya include the use of white corn meal boiled in coconut milk, rice and onions.

There are plenty of festivals celebrated in Brazil for Yemaya. One of them is in Bahia every February the 2nd where people line up to give their offerings at her shrine at Rio Vermelho. People takes flowers and feminine products, such as combs, perfume or mirrors. All of these objects are gathered in big baskets and they are taken to the open sea by fishermen. After this is done, there’s a big party on town. Yemaya is also celebrated on December 8th in Bahia at a festival called “Feast of Our Lady of Conception of the Church at the Beach”. Also, in Sao Paulo, the first two weekends at December, Yemaya is celebrated in Praia Grande city. On these two weekends, many vehicles decorated with yemata colors go from Sao Paulo mountains to the sea.

It is easy to spot Yemaya followers during new years eve, where millions of Brazilians dress in white go to the beach and throw white flowers into the sea, so she will grant their requests for the new year. Other people give her gifts inside of wooden toy boats. Another curious tradition is to jump 7 waves for good luck. You can find during the entire year people at Copacabana giving small offerings of flowers and floating candles. In Havana, Cuba, the Yemaya day is September the 7th by a procession. This procession was initiate by slaves cabildos and their descent. Initiated priest and priestess of Yemaya are usually celebrated in a vigil on September the 6th.

Also in Montevideo, Uruguay, worshippers gather to celebrate on February the 2nd to celebrate Yemaia. Hundreds of people wait for the sunset to launch small boats with offerings to the sea. Yemaya seems to be a beautiful myth of worship to the ocean, womanhood and motherhood that is not common to find in the world. I only wish that Yemaya show up and help us all with this time of pandemic and craziness!