Yemaya

Mother of Pearls.

In Brazil, on New Year's Eve, people celebrate the Feast of Yemaya on the beach by digging trenches in the sand and filling them with candles to create sacred space full of peace and serenity. At midnight they launch flowers and offerings into the sea and immerse themselves in the purifying and protective foamy mantle of the waves. 

Yemanja, Goddess of the Ocean, is shown standing on the waves offering her blessings for the families praying on the shore. She is the Orisha of procreation, gestation, and the family, and holds absolute reign over the hearth fire. Many in Brazil consider her to be the Mother of all Orishas. She is sometimes represented as a mermaid, a white seashell and the Virgin Mary. Mistress of the Line of Water Vibrations.

[traditional Brazilian image]

8" resin statue, handpainted dark skin