Lamanja festival Praia Rio Vermelho in Bahia
On February 2 boats are filled with flowers, bottles of perfume, cakes, and notes asking Yemanja to grant a wish. They go into the sea at Praia Rio Vermelho in Bahia.
This is a festival to the goddess of the sea Yemanja or Iemanja a powerful Orixa goddess. The Orixa gods originated from Candomble which originated from African and travelled to Brazil during the slave trade. Yemanjá is a spirit of the Yoruba. Catholicism travelled with the Portuguese to Brazil. It was fused into the Candomblé religion which is still practiced widely in Brazil, especially in the Bahian Candomble houses. Gifts for the goddess include perfume, flowers, jewellery, mirrors and I even saw small dolls being carried to the sea. Yemanjá is identified with certain aspects of the Virgin Mary, and February Second in the Roman Catholic calendar is the day of Our Lady of Navigators (Nossa Senhora dos Navegantes). Yemanja colours are white and blue so mainly everyone wears white but some lovely shades of the sea- blue or blue green colours can be seen too.Yemanjá is the essence of motherhood, the protector of children, fishermen and sailors, and most importantly, she is the sea itself. When the celebrants reach the shore Yemanjá’s they either pass their baskets laden with gifts for the goddess to fishermen to take out to sea or go with the fishermen to leave them on the waters as offerings to the Orixá.
People on the beach party all day long until nightfall. Some treat it as a religious ceremony and you can see people praying on the shore having sent their offering into the sea while others drink and smoke weed and party. Candomblé priests stand on the sand giving their blessing to the multitudes and the Bhainas dance round their priests chanting what sounds like old African songs.
