Yemoja Research Paper

Yemoja is known as several different names in Latin-American; Yemayá, Iemanyá, Iemanjá, Yemallá, Llemanjá, Madre Del Agua. Even though slavery happened to the Yoruba people some of the religious customs stuck to the slaves now living in a different country. In Cuba Santería is a system of beliefs that has Yoruba mythology they also worship Yemoja, but call her Yemayá. They see her as is the mother of all living things as well as the owner of the oceans and seas. In Uruguay especially in Montevideo she is known as the mother of all living things as well as the owner of the oceans and seas, every February 2nd hundreds of thousands celebrate Iemanjá Day, they sit waiting for the sunset before they launch small boats with offerings into the ocean worshippers gather on Ramirez Beach in the Parque Rodo neighborhood. Unlike the African image of Yemoja, Uruguayans visual of Iemanjá is a fair skinned woman with long black hair. Yemoja is very popular among the Afro-Brazilian or Umbanda’s, because they are heavily influenced by the
Thousands of people line up at dawn to leave their offerings at her shrine in Rio Vermelho. They bare gifts for her usually include flowers and objects of female vanity (combs, jewelry, perfume lipsticks, and mirrors). The offerings are collected in large baskets and taken out to the sea by local fishermen. Subsequently an immense street merrymaking arises. Iemanjá is also celebrated every December 8th in Salvador, Bahia. They have enormous banquet called “Feast to Our Lady of Conception” of the church at the beach. They send gifts in wooden boats down the river. On New Year’s they 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. Yemoja did not only stick to Africans in Latin-America, but to those who live in Caribbean