The day of Ogum of the week is Tuesday. In the year, it is April 23 in the Southeast and in umbanda houses, and June 13, the day of Saint Anthony, in Bahia. In 2027, April 23 falls on a Friday.
What is the day of Ogum in the week and in the year
Week: Tuesday | Southeast and umbanda: April 23 | Bahia: June 13 | Jeje (Bogum): January 19 | 2027: Friday, April 23 | Greeting: Ogunhê!
| Where | Ogum Day |
|---|---|
| Candomblé queto | Tuesday (Prandi) |
| Umbanda | Tuesday and April 23 |
| State of São Paulo | April 23, Day of Ogum by law, not a holiday |
| State of Rio | April 23, holiday of the Day of Saint George |
| Bahia | June 13, Saint Anthony (Verger) |
| Bogum, jeje (Salvador) | January 19, Gu |
The date changes with the region and with the house. To know who is Ogum, the orixá (orisha) of iron behind these dates, start with the pillar.
Tuesday, the day of Ogum in the week
Tuesday is the day of Ogum in Candomblé and in Umbanda. In the table of sociologist Reginaldo Prandi for Candomblé queto, the day of Ogum is "Tuesday". Pierre Verger records the same in Bahia: "Tuesday is the day of the week that is consecrated to him".
In Umbanda, the Tenda de Umbanda Caboclo Tupinambá e Vó Catarina (TUCTVC), in São José dos Campos, gives Tuesday. FUCESP, the São Paulo federation, also.
Tuesday also counts for the falanges. In the Santo Antônio cemetery, in Vitória (ES), Umbandistas heard by Barbara Thompson give Ogum Megê April 23 and Tuesday. Who are Megê, Ronda and Beira-Mar in the gira is in Ogum in umbanda. The days of all orixás are in days of the week of the orixás.
April 23: Day of Ogum by law in São Paulo, Saint George holiday in Rio
April 23 is not a national holiday. In São Paulo, it is the official date of Ogum, without a holiday. In Rio, it is a state holiday for Saint George Day.
São Paulo: Law 14.905 of 2012
It is the only law found that gives the name of the orixá to the date. It came from a project by deputy Leci Brandão, in December 2012.
“The ‘Day of Ogum’ is hereby established to be celebrated annually on April 23, with this date becoming part of the Official Calendar of the State.”
In the capital of São Paulo, PL 801 of 2019 seeks to put the festival Se Meu Pai é Ogum on the city calendar, also on April 23. The project received a favorable opinion in 2020, but we did not find the published law.
Rio de Janeiro: Saint George holiday
In Rio, Law 5.198 of 2008, by deputy Jorge Babu (PT), says: “The day of April 23, Day of Saint George, is hereby established as a state holiday.”
In 2023, the STF ruled the law constitutional. For the Court, the State showed the “religious and cultural relevance of the Catholic saint Saint George.” The capital already had a municipal holiday since Law 3.302 of 2001, according to researcher Maria Claudia Pitrez. The project was also by Jorge Babu, then a councilman, whom she describes as a “practicing follower of Umbanda.”
The law does not mention Ogum. The holiday is of the saint, and the houses in Rio celebrate Ogum on the same day. Why the warrior saint became Ogum in Rio is in Saint George and Ogum.
In Bahia, the day of Ogum is June 13
In Bahia, the day of Ogum in the year is June 13, the day of Saint Anthony. Verger writes that “In Bahia, Ogum was syncretized with Saint Anthony of Padua.”
In Salvador, the newspaper A Tarde recorded in 2024 that “the day of June 13 is also dedicated to the Orixá Ogum.” At Terreiro Monzo Dandalunda, in Areia Branca, the singer Beto Jamaica maintains a feijoada open to the public, and “The feijoada of Ogum is initially distributed to 21 men.”
On June 13, 2022, the city hall listed the terreiro Casa de Ogum, the Okutá de Ògún, in Candeal as a heritage site. Why the saint of Ogum in Bahia is another is in Saint Anthony and Ogum.
In Jeje: Gu on January 19
In Jeje Candomblé, the vodun linked to Ogum is Gu. In Bogum, a Jeje house in Salvador, the January festivals include, on the 19th, Gu, "the lord of war and metallurgy (Ogum)". If the house maintains the calendar, January 19, 2027, falls on a Tuesday.
Day of Ogum in 2027: April 23 falls on a Friday
In 2027, the April 23 falls on a Friday and the June 13, on a Sunday.
The houses have not yet published the 2027 schedule. The dates for all orixás are in the site's calendar and in the calendar of the orixás.
What the houses do on the day of Ogum
At Tenda Espírita Mamãe Oxum (Oshun), an Umbanda house studied by Pedro Nogueira, "on April 23, the day dedicated to Saint George, the honored one is the Orixá Ogun".
In 2026, the day's schedule moved from the terreiros to the streets. In Paulista (PE), Ilê Asé Omo Ogundê planned the Caminhada de Ogum on April 23 and 26, with feijoada at the terreiro at noon on the 23rd.
In São Paulo, MST scheduled the Feijoada de Ogun for the following Saturday, opened with smoke cleansing (defumação) and xirê. According to Alma Preta, the feijoada de Ogum was born at the beginning of the 20th century, in Bahia, with the babalorixá Procópio de Ogum.
The sung chants of Ogum, the most well-known and where they come from, are in ponto de Ogum.
What to do at home on the day of Ogum
Those who do not go to the house mark the day at home. Obrigação and fundamento remain with the pai or mãe de santo.
- In candomblé queto, Ogum's food in Prandi's table is "feijoada and roasted yam".
- In umbanda, the amalá of Ogum from Terreiro Pai Maneco, in Curitiba, takes white and red candles, "white beer in coité, cigars, peanuts and fruits".
- Where to deliver: FUCESP says Ogum receives offerings "On the roads and railroads".
The simplest gesture is a candle of a single color, lit on Tuesday or on the 23rd, with a roasted yam beside it. TUCTVC gives red, red and white, and blue.
Tip: before lighting, ask your house the color and the place. In Bahia, Verger saw dark blue and, sometimes, green beads. In umbanda, FUCESP gives red.
Those who cannot light a candle can firm up a virtual candle of Ogum. The complete offering is in offering for Ogum, and the test which offering to make helps to choose. To check the candle or the material that the house requested, Joia Mística Laroyê is available via WhatsApp. The orixá's profile is in Ogum.
Frequently asked questions
What is Ogum's day of the week?
Tuesday. It is the day that Reginaldo Prandi registers for Ogum in candomblé queto and that Pierre Verger registers in Bahia. In umbanda, TUCTVC and FUCESP also give Tuesday, and, in Vitória, Ogum Megê also falls on Tuesday.
Is Ogum's day a holiday?
It is not a national holiday. In São Paulo, April 23rd is Ogum's Day in the official State calendar, without a holiday, by Law 14.905 of 2012. In Rio, it is a state holiday for Saint George Day, by Law 5.198 of 2008. Rio's law does not mention Ogum.
On what day does Ogum's day fall in 2027?
April 23, 2027, falls on a Friday. In Bahia, June 13, 2027, falls on a Sunday. In Bogum, a jeje house in Salvador, January 19, 2027, the day of Gu, falls on a Tuesday, if the house maintains the calendar.
What to do on Ogum's day?
Going to the gira or the festival at your house is the first step. At home, a single color candle and a roasted yam or a feijoada, the food of Ogum in the queto. In Umbanda, houses like Pai Maneco's offer white beer. Follow what your house teaches.
References
- Prandi, Horizontes Antropológicos (UFRGS, 1995): Deuses africanos no Brasil contemporâneo
- Pierre Verger: Orixás, Corrupio, 1981
- Legislative Assembly of São Paulo: Law 14.905 of 2012, Day of Ogum
- Supreme Federal Court: Informativo 1105, ADI 4.092, holiday of the Day of Saint George
- Jornal do Brasil (2008): Saint George holiday becomes state holiday
- Pitrez, Debates do NER (UFRGS, 2012): The Saint George holiday and the Evangelical day
- Câmara Municipal de São Paulo: joint opinion 618 of 2020 to PL 801 of 2019
- TUCTVC: Ogum
- FUCESP: Ogum
- Terreiro de Umbanda Pai Maneco: Ogum
- Nogueira, dissertation (UFJF, 2014): The intra-religious dialogue in Umbanda
- Thompson, IV Seminário PGCS UFES (2019): umbanda rituals at Santo Antônio cemetery
- A Tarde: Bogum and the January calendar (2023), Ogum's feijoada on June 13 (2024) and heritage listing of the Casa de Ogum (2022)
- Diario de Pernambuco (2026): Ogum's walk and Saint George's procession in Greater Recife
- Alma Preta (2026): MST's Ogum feijoada in São Paulo
