Learn some offerings to Iemanjá!

Iemanjá is the African deity of the salty waters, of motherhood, fertility, family and protection. The day of Iemanjá is celebrated on February 02 throughout Brazil, with many offerings and celebrations and, in some places, is celebrated on December 08 as Our Lady of Conception in syncretism.

In these celebrations people wear white clothes, go out in procession and may take popcorn baths. If they are held in coastal cities, the celebrations are held at the seaside, with many white roses being offered to Yemanjá.

Whether in celebrations, religious houses or just to make a request, many offerings are made to the Queen of the Sea. Such offerings can be white roses, orchids, chrysanthemums, candles and clothes. Usually, the offerings are delivered at the seaside. Learn more about Yemanja in this article and learn how to make an offering!

Knowing more about Iemanjá

Iemanjá is the mother of almost all the orixás, mother of all heads and protector of fishermen and of the family. This Iabá (female orixá) is very respected, loved and worshipped within the Afro-Brazilian religions such as Umbanda and Candomblé, which are better known. In the following topics more information about Iemanjá will be discussed. Check it out!

History of Iemanjá

Iemanjá is a very important Yabá for being the orixá that gave origin to the various deities of the African religions. According to the stories, Iemanjá is the daughter of Olokum, the sovereign of the seas, from whom she gained a potion to flee from dangers, and married Oduduá, with whom she had ten orixá children.

As a result of breastfeeding her children, her breasts became larger and fuller, bringing a sense of shame to the Yabá. Tired of the marriage, she decided to leave Oduduá and go in search of her own happiness. As time passed, she married Okerê, but this union was unhappy.

When Okerê drank too much, he acted unkindly toward Yemanjá by speaking of her breasts. As a result, Yemanjá ran away disappointed. Okerê pursued her to get her back, and to escape this persecution, Yemanjá decided to take the potion that her father had given him. Then, Yemanjá turned into a river to flow into the sea.

To recover her, Okerê transformed herself into a mountain to block her path. However, her son Xangô helped her by creating passages through the mountain valleys. Finally, Iemanjá was able to continue her path until she reached the sea, becoming the Queen of the Sea.

Visual characteristics

As an African deity, Iemanjá is represented as a black woman with long, dark, wavy hair. However, there is a more popular representation in Brazil in which the skin color is white and she has long, straight, dark hair. She may be holding a mirror (abebé), her sacred object, which reflects everything that is opposite or she may be with open arms.

Regarding her body, she is an adult woman with wide hips and full breasts, symbolizing pregnancy, motherhood and nutrition. Because she is the goddess of the salt waters, or mother mermaid, other images represent her as a mermaid, half upper woman, half lower fish.

Iemanjá wears a long light blue dress with long sleeves and a silver starfish or seashell crown on her head. The style of the dress can also change to a tomara caia dress, with large bows at the waist and near the neck in the back, in light blue.

Relationship with other orixás

In relation to the other orixás, Iemanjá is the wife of Oxalá and mother of Ogum, Oxóssi, Xangô, Omolu, Exu and some others. She also adopted Obaluaê and has the capacity to love and care for all her children, whether orixás or humans. According to the stories, Iemanjá has no rivalry with other orixás, while Oxum has friction with Iansã and Obá.

While Iemanjá is the female orixá of the salty waters, Oxum is the female orixá of the sweet waters. Both are deities of the waters, the difference between them is that while Iemanjá rules the family, the sentimental and protection, Oxum rules the gold, financial prosperity and pregnancy. However, both rule the fertility, the emotional and love.

Iemanjá syncretism

When it comes to religious syncretism, Yemanjá is the African deity of the salty waters and is associated with Our Lady of Navigators, however, she also has other associations such as Our Lady of Candeias, Our Lady of Conception, Our Lady of Piety and even the Virgin Mary.

These associations arose in the 18th century through the clash of African religions brought by blacks with Catholicism at the time of slavery. The Catholic Church tried to force the slaves to adhere to Christian doctrine in their lives, wanting to prevent them from worshipping and performing activities of their beliefs.

Sons of Yemanjá

The children of Yemanja are very emotional, they seem docile and fragile, but like the sea itself, they can react in a very intense way. They are attached to their family, treat everyone with education and affection. A remarkable characteristic is how loving they are, they are usually overprotective and like to take good care of those they love, even when people have attitudes that hurt and hurt.

If the children of Yemanja feel they have been deceived or are out of line, they become vengeful and spiteful. The hearts of the children of Yemanja are enormous and they take on the responsibilities and problems of others and overload themselves with them. The desire to take care of loved ones is greater than anything else and because of this they are easily disappointed.

Prayer to Iemanjá

There are several prayers to Yemanja, either to open paths, for protection or for other areas of life. The following prayer is for protection, by an unknown author.

"Divine mother, protector of fishermen and who governs humanity, give us protection. Oh, sweet Yemanja, cleanse our auras, free us from all temptations. You are the force of nature, beautiful goddess of love and goodness (make your request). Help us by unloading our matters of all impurities and may your phalanx protect us, giving us health and peace. May your will be done.Odoyá!

Iemanjá leaves and herbs

The plants, flowers, leaves and herbs are used for baths, offerings, as natural incense, smoking environments and also be burned in candles, depending on the ritual, magic or sympathy that is performing. Each orixá has its plants, flowers and herbs.

The most popular leaves and herbs of Yemanjá are lavender, lavender, jasmine, white rose, orange blossom and hydrangea. The other types of plants of this Yemanjá are sea moss, pata de vaca, Marianinha, Araçá da praia and lírio do brejo. They are usually used for cleansing baths and unloading.

How to please Yemanjá?

Each orixá is pleased in a different way, it has its plants, foods, colors, aromas and this is no different with Iemanjá. Normally, these pleasures are made as offerings when making a request, wish or as thanksgiving.

To please the Queen of the Sea, bet on sweets and fruits such as canjica, manjar and plum or peach syrup. As for the offerings made with flowers, white roses, orchids and chrysanthemums are delivered by the sea, accompanied by blue, pink and white candles.

Offering white roses to Iemanjá

White roses are flowers that are easy to buy in flower shops and even in some markets. They are the most used flowers as offerings by people, especially in the new year, at the seaside, when making requests jumping the 7 waves. Continue reading and learn how to make an offering to Iemanjá!

When to do it?

First of all, any type of offering should be made with the guidance of an Umbanda or Candomblé leader, because each one has a way to be offered to each orixá. Talk to a mother or father of saint before making an offering.

White roses are the most common and easily accessible offerings, delivered on New Year's Eve, when jumping the 7 waves of the sea, in commemorations of Iemanjá's day on February 02, in unloading baths and opening of paths or in other specific situations.

The baths made with the flowers are also performed outside the days of celebration to open paths, to cleanse, purify and discharge negative energies, ask for a new love, a new job, for protection.

Ingredients

Next, learn how to make a Purification Bath for Yemanja. You will need:

2 liters of water

1 handful of coarse salt

Petals of a white rose

1 tablespoon lavender sap

Directions

Crush the rose petals, add the other ingredients and mix. Pray to Yemanja while preparing the bath, asking for purification and renewal of energy. Let the ingredients boil in the water for 2 or 3 minutes, turn off the heat and let it warm.

After finishing the ordinary bath, take the bath of Yemanja from the neck down. Do this process calmly, while you mentalize your wishes and keep positive thoughts. This bath should be performed on a Saturday.

Offering food and objects to Iemanjá

In addition to flowers, candles and clothes, maritime objects such as shells and food are also used as offerings to the Queen of the Sea. The most common foods are canjica, manjar and some dishes made with fish and coconut milk. In the next topics, see a recipe of canjica to Yemanjá.

When to do it?

Remember that any type of offering should be made with the guidance of an Umbanda or Candomblé leader, so that everything is done correctly. Food can also be offered in celebrations, services and when making requests. If you frequent any Umbanda or Candomblé house, talk to the person in charge of the place.

Offerings are considered beautiful gifts that should be delivered to the seaside. When offering food or other products that are perishable, they should be placed in specific places, such as a forest or a field.

Ingredients

Below is a recipe for Coconut Manjar for Yemanja, you will need:

1 can of condensed milk

1 glass of coconut milk

2 cans of milk (measure made with can of condensed milk)

3 tablespoons of cornstarch

1 white or light blue earthenware dish

1 pint of white or light blue crockery with handles

1 bottle of white champagne

White roses in odd number

Directions

Mix all the ingredients together, bring to medium heat and stir continuously until the pudding loosens from the bottom of the pan, forming a firm porridge. Pour the contents into a pudding mold and let cool. Unmold the pudding onto a white plate and garnish with roses.

This is a very simple recipe to please Yemanja, very sweet and tasty. There are other recipes to make as an offering, such as Sagu of coconut milk, white pudding and boiled fish, choose to cook what you think is best and do with great affection.

Important tips for making an offering to Iemanjá

Preparing an offering to Iemanjá is simple. However, it is necessary to take some care not to make it without proper guidance and not end up polluting the sea or the place where the offering was placed. See some important tips for making an offering to Iemanjá in the following topics!

Avoid dirt on the beaches!

Every year on New Year's Eve, some people usually jump over the 7 waves of Iemanjá to make requests for the New Year and throw white roses into the sea as offerings. Some people place bottles of champagne and cider on the seashore. However, care should be taken when making offerings to the Queen of the Sea, avoid leaving dirt on the beach.

It is possible to make the offerings without leaving the beach dirty. White roses can be thrown into the sea, but without thorns, so that some sea animal can eat the flowers without getting hurt. If they return to the edge of the sea, people do not get hurt when stepping on these flowers.

Choose biodegradable materials

If you offer food or a bottle of champagne, it is recommended to use cups and plates made of biodegradable and environmentally friendly materials. This way, pollution on beaches and seas is reduced. Make your offering without dirtying nature.

Using materials that are not biodegradable can get loose in the middle of the sea or in the environment, taking hundreds of years to decompose. During this process, some animals can be harmed in some way, so the best way to make an offering is to take care of nature at the same time.

Faith and prayer are the greatest forms of worship!

Despite the celebrations, festivities and cults held for Iemanjá, faith and prayer are forms of worship to this force of nature. Prayer is a powerful source of positive energy, if it is done with sincerity and heart, along with faith, because the individual believes in god, in an entity, with all his strength and trusts that everything will work out and will be fine.

So, as much as flowers, food, clothes, candles, incense and objects are forms of offerings and worship to the Queen of the Sea, faith, prayer, positive attitudes and love will always be the greatest forms of worship, whether to her or to any other orixá.

Sympathies for Iemanjá

In addition to the offerings, services and celebrations, there are sympathies for Yemanja to help people in certain matters outside the specific dates for making special baths, requests and the like. Below are some sympathies for Yemanja for various areas of life.

Sympathy to ask for health and protection

To perform the sympathy for health and protection for Yemanja you will need a flower pot and some white roses. Take a flower pot, fill it with white roses and put on the table in your kitchen or living room, keep positive thoughts.

Offer white roses to Yemanja and ask for health for all who live in your house. When the flowers wither, throw them into the sea, the field or the woods. This sympathy is simple and should be performed on a Saturday.

Sympathy to forget bad things

In a notebook with a plain cover, write all the bad things you want to erase from your memory. When the first full moon comes after this stage, take the notebook to the sea, get into the water and say: "Great Lady of the sea, take with your strength and your impetus all the evil that is in my mind, so that my heart will no longer be bitter.

Then, throw the notebook far away into the sea. Take seven steps backwards without turning your back to the sea. To finish, turn and leave without looking back. Do this sympathy when you feel you need to forget situations or events that were very bad in life.

Sympathy for luck in love

For this sympathy, take five or eight white roses, a lavender perfume, some ribbons of blue, yellow, pink, white and green, a mirror, talcum powder, soap and jewelry.

Line a basket with cellophane paper, tie a ribbon on the handle of each flower and pour a little talcum powder and perfume over it. Then put the mirror, the soap and the jewelry in the basket and take it to the sea. Count three waves and, on the fourth, offer the basket to Yemanja and Oxum.

Sympathy to have money all year round

You'll need to take seven white roses, seven coins of the same value, lavender perfume and a champagne to a beach and pray to Yemanja. Count seven waves as they hit your legs and throw the flowers into the sea. Then pour the champagne and offer it to the orixás.

Wash the coins with the perfume and put them in your right hand. Dip your hand in the water and ask for financial protection. Let the sea take six coins and keep one, to be kept as a charm during the year. Do it on a Saturday.

Sympathy to attract peace and prosperity

For this sympathy, mix white rose petals, raw rice and a perfume of your choice and rub it on your body. Go to the beach and pray to Yemanja while looking at the sea, asking for peace and prosperity for the new year that is coming.

Next, take off your shoes and get into the sea dressed in a white outfit. Take three dives and get out of the water with your back to the sand. This sympathy should be performed near or on the day of the new year.

Iemanjá is the Queen of the Sea!

Iemanjá, or Yemonjá, is the Queen of the Sea, mother of all heads, a very loving, protective and consoling mother. Just like the sympathies, the offerings to this Yabá are easy to make and deliver. However, if you want to make requests and offerings, it is recommended to ask for guidance from a mother or father of saint.

The processions, worship and offerings made to Iemanjá as Nossa Senhora dos Navegantes in the Catholic Church, were very well used by fishermen, where they offered fish in the sea to the goddess. With this offering, they asked for improvements in the roads and good harvests of fish so that the fishermen could feed themselves all year round.

Iemanjá is also worshiped and loved in other countries around the world and is considered the silver fish by the Africans. This Yemanjá likes to be given gifts, but the most important thing is to have Faith when making requests.