The day of Oxóssi of the week is Thursday. In the year, it is January 20 in Rio de Janeiro and in Umbanda houses, and the Corpus Christi Thursday in traditional Candomblé houses in Salvador. In 2027, January 20 falls on a Wednesday.
What is the day of Oxóssi in the week and in the year
Week: Thursday | Rio and Umbanda: January 20 | Salvador houses: Corpus Christi Thursday | 2027: Wednesday, January 20
| Where | Day of Oxóssi | Who registers |
|---|---|---|
| Candomblé queto | Thursday | Reginaldo Prandi |
| Umbanda | Thursday and January 20 | FUCESP |
| Municipality of Rio | January 20, Saint Sebastian holiday | Organic Law, art. 26 |
| Casa Branca, Gantois and Opô Afonjá (Salvador) | Corpus Christi Thursday | Pai Paulo de Oxalá (Obatala); Bahia Notícias |
| Porto Alegre | January 20, commemorative date | Law 13.709 of 2023 |
The day changes with tradition. To know who Oxóssi is, the hunter behind these dates, start with the pillar.
Thursday, the day of Oxóssi in the week
In the table by sociologist Reginaldo Prandi (USP) for queto candomblé, the day of Oxóssi is "Thursday". In the same table, Ossaim (Osanyin) and Logunedé (Logun Ede) also fall on Thursday, which helps to understand why the three cross so much. The confusion between the hunter and the owner of the leaves is in Ossaim and Oxóssi.
In umbanda, the Federation of Umbanda and Candomblé of the State of São Paulo (FUCESP) also gives "Day of the week: Thursday". The days of all orixás (orishas) are in days of the week of the orixás.
Not everyone links Thursday to a big party. The ialorixá Nádia de Oxóssi, cited by the columnist Pai Paulo de Oxalá, says that "it does not make sense to play for Oxóssi on Corpus Christi day, just because it is Thursday".
January 20: why is it a holiday in Rio
January 20 is a holiday in the municipality of Rio de Janeiro because of Saint Sebastian, the city's patron. The rule is in the Organic Law of the Municipality, from 1990:
“Art. 26 - The patron of the City is Saint Sebastian, who will be celebrated with a municipal holiday on January 20, every year.”
The official calendar of the Court of Justice of Rio for 2026 cites the same article to suspend deadlines on that day. The law does not mention Oxóssi. The holiday is for the saint; Oxóssi's day falls on the same date because, in Rio, the hunter was associated with Saint Sebastian, the martyr of the arrows. Why this association was born, and why it does not make one the other, is in Saint Sebastian and Oxóssi.
Umbanda keeps the same date. FUCESP says that Oxóssi is “celebrated on January 20”. In Porto Alegre, Law 13.709, from 2023, put the “Day of Oxóssi” on the official calendar of commemorative dates, “on January 20”, without a holiday. It is the only law found that uses the name of the orixá. The way the houses of Umbanda live Oxóssi is in Oxóssi in Umbanda.
What happens in Rio on the day of Oxóssi
The day joins the Catholic festival and the tribute from the Afro-Brazilian houses. In 2026, the programming of the Archdiocese of Rio scheduled for 4:00 PM the procession “leaving the Basilica Sanctuary of Saint Sebastian, Tijuca, to the Metropolitan Cathedral, Center”, followed by mass.
On the same January 20, 2026, the washing of the Baden Powell Staircase, in Copacabana, “honored the orixá Oxóssi”. The ialorixá Alba de Oyá supervised the washing, performed by baianas with “scented water and flower petals”. In the Center, the Lava São Sebastião, at Fundição Progresso, was dedicated to the patron and “to the orixá Oxóssi”.
The rhythm is similar to that of the day of Oxalá, which also joins a Catholic procession and washing at the beginning of the year.
Day of Oxóssi in 2027: January 20 falls on a Wednesday
In 2027, January 20 falls on a Wednesday. The official 2027 calendar of the Regional Labor Court of the 4th Region confirms the day of the week. In 2026, the date fell on a Tuesday.
The Corpus Christi Thursday of 2027 will be on May 27. In 2026, it was on June 4. Corpus Christi is not a national holiday: the TRT4 itself reminds that it is celebrated "in some municipalities".
The Archdiocese and the houses have not yet published the 2027 schedule. The dates of all orixás in the year are in the calendar of the site and in the calendar of the orixás.
Day of Oxóssi in Salvador: the Corpus Christi Thursday
In Salvador, the day of Oxóssi of the oldest houses is not January 20. Pai Paulo de Oxalá wrote in 2015 that "large terreiros, such as Ilé Àse Òpó Àfonjá, Engenho Velho and Gantois, celebrate Oxóssi" on the day of Corpus Christi. According to him, these houses "begin their annual liturgical calendar with this feast".
The tradition remains alive. On June 8, 2023, Corpus Christi Thursday, the community of Casa Branca held the "Mass of Oxóssi". It was at the Church of Nossa Senhora do Rosário dos Pretos, and the terreiro is located in Engenho Velho da Federação. It is a mass to Saint George, the saint who gives name to the association of the terreiro, with chants also to Oxóssi, "orixá patron of the Terreiro da Casa Branca". Afterwards, the faithful went to the terreiro, where the Festa de Oxóssi took place at 8 p.m.
"There is no consensus on why the festival of Oxóssi of these Houses takes place on the day of Corpus Christi." Pai Paulo de Oxalá, 2015
An explanation he records: "the first banner that came ahead of the Corpus Christi procession was that of Saint George, to whom Oxóssi was associated". In Bahia, the saint of Oxóssi is Saint George; in Rio, Saint George is Ogum (Ogun), as shown in Saint George and Ogum. No open source records a festival for Oxóssi on April 23, the day of Saint George, in the houses of Salvador.
If the houses maintain the tradition, the 2027 festival falls on May 27.
What is done at home on Oxóssi's day
Those who do not go to the festival can mark the day at home, with what your house teaches. Foundation and obrigação remain with the pai or mãe de santo.
- In Candomblé queto, Oxóssi's food in the Prandi table is "cooked corn with coconut slices; fruits". The taboo for the children is "eating honey". Therefore, honey stays off the plate, and what that changes for those of Oxóssi is in children of Oxóssi.
- In Umbanda, FUCESP lists "Candles, cigars, fruits, their foods and drinks", delivered "In the woods". Each house says what goes and where it goes.
The simplest gesture is a candle of a single color lit on a Thursday or on the 20th, on a firm plate. The color follows the house: FUCESP gives "Green in Umbanda". Beside it, an ear of corn or fruits on a clay saucer is enough. An ofá, the bow and arrow of Oxóssi, can stay on the altar all year.
The complete offering, with what goes and what does not go, is in offering for Oxóssi, and the test which offering to make helps to choose. To check the candle or the material that your house requested, Joia Mística Laroyê can be reached via WhatsApp. The orixá's profile is in Oxóssi.
Frequently asked questions
What is Oxóssi's day of the week?
Thursday. It is the day that sociologist Reginaldo Prandi records for Oxóssi in Candomblé queto, and what FUCESP gives for Umbanda. In Prandi's table, Ossaim and Logunedé also fall on Thursday.
Is January 20 a holiday?
It is a municipal holiday in Rio de Janeiro, by article 26 of the Organic Law, which celebrates Saint Sebastian, the city's patron. The law does not mention Oxóssi. In Porto Alegre, January 20 has been Oxóssi Day on the official calendar since 2023, but it is not a holiday.
On what day does Oxóssi Day fall in 2027?
January 20, 2027, falls on a Wednesday, according to the official calendar of TRT4. Corpus Christi Thursday, the date of the festival of traditional houses in Salvador, will be on May 27, 2027, if the houses maintain the tradition.
What is Oxóssi Day in Bahia?
In traditional houses in Salvador, such as Casa Branca, Gantois, and Opô Afonjá, the festival of Oxóssi is on Corpus Christi Thursday. In 2023, Casa Branca held the Oxóssi Mass and the festival at the terreiro on that day. There is no record of a festival on April 23.
Is Oxóssi Day the day of Saint Sebastian?
In Rio and in Umbanda, both dates fall on January 20 because of syncretism. But the festival is for two: the holiday is for the saint, and the tribute from the houses is for the orixá. Syncretism does not make Oxóssi and Saint Sebastian the same figure.
References
- Rio City Hall, General Prosecutor's Office: Organic Law of the Municipality of Rio de Janeiro
- Court of Justice of Rio de Janeiro: suspension of 2026 deadlines
- Regional Labor Court of the 4th Region: 2027 calendar
- Porto Alegre City Council: Law 13.709 of 2023, Day of Oxóssi
- Prandi, Horizontes Antropológicos (UFRGS, 1995): Deuses africanos no Brasil contemporâneo
- FUCESP: Oxóssi
- Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro: schedule for the Trezena of Saint Sebastian 2026
- Alma Preta: washing of the Baden Powell Staircase in honor of Oxóssi and Wash Saint Sebastian in the Center of Rio
- Pai Paulo de Oxalá, Extra (2015): Oxóssi and Corpus Christi
- Bahia Notícias (2023): Mass of Oxóssi on the day of Corpus Christi in Salvador
