Sacred Journeys: Oshun-Oshogbo

The Oshun festival takes place every year in Oshogbo, Nigeria during mid-August.  Millions of people travel from around the world to participate in the festival, to bathe in the sacred Oshun river, to make offerings and ask for blessings.  In Candomblé, Oxum (and the other female Orixas) are celebrated in December.  It’s a nice coincidence

The Importance of Family & the Terreiro in Candomblé

I was reading Jacqueline Woodson’s Op-Ed in the NYT last month.  Her opinion piece had nothing to do with religion, much less Candomblé, but the message of resistance in her words reminded me of the shared narrative between African-Americans and Afro-Brazilians. To know that we African-Americans came here enslaved to work until we died but

Feast of the Iyabas

The end of the year marks a special time for celebration in most terreiros.  The female Orixás, Iyabas, are honored with a public feast.  Here are some videos showing the rum (hoom – the segment of the feast where the Orixá dances to their songs telling their story) of the Iyabas.  Enjoy! Rum de Iyewa

Iyawo – a poem

Iyawo by Nany Kipenzi Vieira   A few words heard from afar, someone touched my feet.  A summoning or sweetness? Time to wake up! The sun has yet to rise, but Iyawo it’s your time. Don’t say a thing, you just finished conversing with your ancestors during your sleep, sacred time. You need to return to