Introduction to the Candomblé and to the Orixás
The Candomblé is a religion of African origin, developed in Brazil.
It is said that when the peoples of West Africa were enslaved and taken to the Americas, along with them, on board the slave ships, their orixás (deities) were also shipped. We think this image is the best way to present Candomblé and Orixás.
We could say that candomblé is the reorganization of the Yoruba deities into a new pantheon, where they are worshiped together while in Africa, at least at the time of the diaspora, all cities or regions specifically worshiped an orixá. Yoruba culture and religion is around 5000 years old, being a culture based exclusively on oral tradition.
The awo, the iwa, the odu and the ori.
There are four concepts that are fundamental to Yoruba culture: awo, iwa, odu and ori.
Awo is the secret. Candomblé, cult of the orixás, is an initiatic religion. In addition, Yoruba people appreciate the value of knowledge and wisdom, which are transmitted from the oldest to the youngest, from the wisest to the least experienced. There is no need to spread knowledge among anyone. In a way, one must be admitted to knowledge.
Iwa it is the essence of the human being, it is what marks the distance between humans and animals. It is also a person's character: having a good temper is the secret to success in life.
Odu is the fate of each person. More precisely, it is the path that a soul chooses before coming to Earth for the first time or that is returning.
Ori is the head, the center of the intellect, but also the only orixá dedicated exclusively to the person to whom it belongs. Ori is the personal caregiver. Orixás cannot do anything to help a person if their Ori does not cooperate.
The symbole for the awo, the iwa, the odu and the ori.
In fact, the orixás are a living presence among us. The orixás, who belong to "Orun" (the sky) come to "aye" (the earth) as intermediaries between the two worlds, between human beings and God. They were created by Olodumare (God) to help humans fulfill "Odu" (destiny). Each orixá has its own characteristics, very specific.
They feel our same feelings. This allows them to be fully empathetic with human beings and, consequently, makes them able to represent to Olodumare the desires, needs, joys and sorrows of the people they care for.
Each orixá has its own symbolism: colors, food, songs, prayers, environments, physical spaces and even times. Some orixás, such as Exú, Oxala, Oxossi, Iyemanjá, Oxum, Ogum, Xango, Nanã, Iansã, Omolú and Olodumare are well known, due to folklore and myths. Others are hiding behind the secret. There is no hierarchy: some of them are funfun orixás (white), created by Olodumare to make the world, others are not. The orixás represent the forces of nature.
Every person has an orixá taking care of them:
This individual orixá is at the same time unique and part of the universal energy of nature.
Although there is one orixá guiding a person’s life (it is said to be “son of …”), each one of us can ask for the help of every orixá, depending on the need: indeed, each orixá has its area of competence.
