The day of Oxum in the week is Saturday. In the year, the date varies by region and house: December 8 (Our Lady of the Conception), July 16 (Our Lady of Mount Carmel) and October 12 (Our Lady of Aparecida).
The most cited in the country is December 8; in the Northeast, especially in Recife, the festival is on July 16. There are also local dates in September. Each house follows its own, and all are legitimate.
What is the day of Oxum?
The day of Oxum in the week is Saturday, at any time of the year. In the annual calendar, there is no single date: each region linked the Orixá to an invocation of Our Lady, and the festival fell on the day of that saint. Therefore, the same question has different answers in Porto Alegre, in São Paulo and in Recife.
| Date | Catholic association | Where it is most remembered |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday | Not applicable | Day of the week of Oxum in all of Brazil |
| December 8 | Our Lady of the Conception | The most widespread; strong in the South, such as in Rio Grande (RS) |
| July 16 | Our Lady of Mount Carmel | Northeast, with a highlight on Recife |
| October 12 | Our Lady of Aparecida | Southeast and Midwest |
| September 15 | Our Lady of Sorrows | Minas Gerais |
| September 8 | Our Lady of Nazaré | North, in Belém |
According to the Wikipedia entry about Oxum, the orixá (orisha) was associated with different invocations of Our Lady throughout the country. The portal Alma Preta records that, in most states, the syncretism is with Our Lady of the Conception, and therefore December 8 is the date that appears most when speaking of Oxum's day. In Rio Grande do Sul, the geographer Rogério Amaral Pereira studied the tributes to Oxum and the Immaculate Conception made on the same December 8 in Rio Grande, in a article from Revista Presença Geográfica. In Salvador, there is a festival for Oxum outside of these dates: on the eve of the Iemanjá (Yemoja) festival, the Dique do Tororó receives the gift of Oxum, the Sórodó, "a word that means the act of bringing offerings to the waters"; according to Correio, the event emerged in 1990 and is made with biodegradable materials.
Syncretism is not equivalence. The Catholic date was the shelter that allowed the worship to remain alive under persecution. Oxum continues to be Oxum, and the saint continues to be the saint.
The important point is not to treat any date as "the true one". All are legitimate, the fruit of the way devotion took root in every corner of the country. The syncretism of Oxum with the national patroness deserves a separate chapter, told in the article about Our Lady of Aparecida and Oxum. In December, the festival of Oxum arrives in the same week as that of Iansã (Oya), celebrated on December 4.
Oxum Day in Umbanda and Oxum month
In Umbanda, the same rule applies: Saturday is the weekly day of the Orixá, and the annual festival follows the date that the house adopts; in the South and Southeast, many houses use December 8 or October 12, and some remember both. Those looking for an "Oxum month" will not find a fixed month in all traditions; the months that concentrate the festivals are December, July and October, depending on the house's date. If in doubt, ask your terreiro what the date is there.
Who is Oxum, the mother of fresh waters
Oxum is the Orixá of rivers, waterfalls, and springs, the lady of the waters that run sweet and give life to the land. It is easy to label her only as "the Orixá of love," but that shrinks what she represents. Tradition calls her Iyalodê, the title of the most important woman in the city, the political and diplomatic voice that decides the people's path with the men. She is wealth, gold, abundance, fertility, and motherhood, in addition to love.
As taught by sociologist Reginaldo Prandi, emeritus professor at USP and a reference in the study of Afro-Brazilian religions in his work Mitologia dos Orixás, the Orixá is born from a real river in Yoruba land and carries the dominion over that which is valuable and generates life. To honor the queen of the waterfalls is to recognize this entire power, not just the sweetness.
To deeply know the origin, myths, and qualities of Iyalodê, it is worth reading the full profile on who is Oxum. Here, the focus is the date and how to revere her.
Oxum technical sheet
Before reaching the date, it is worth fixing the elements that identify the Orixá. The correspondences follow what is most consensual among the houses, with regional variations signaled throughout the text.
- Domains: fresh waters (rivers, waterfalls, springs), love, wealth and gold, fertility, pregnancy, motherhood and diplomacy
- Colors: gold-yellow and golden
- Element: fresh water
- Symbol: the abebê, fan or circular golden mirror, linked to the beauty and vanity of Iyalodê
- Day of the week: Saturday
- Greeting: “Ora yeyê ô!”, from the Yoruba Òóré Yéyé ó!, a reverence to the kind mother
- Offerings: honey, yellow fruits (melon, peach, banana), yellow flowers, quindim and the omolocum (black-eyed peas with shrimp, dendê and eggs)
- Syncretism: plural, depending on the region, as we will see below
Ora yeyê ô, Mamãe Oxum! The greeting is the gesture of one who seeks comfort in the mother of fresh waters, the one who calms the heart and makes life prosper like the river that never stops running.
Why is the day of Oxum July 16
Those who look for the festival of the Orixá in the calendar of many houses, especially in the Northeast, find July 16. The reason lies in the syncretism with Our Lady of Mount Carmel, whose Catholic liturgical date falls exactly on that day.
History helps to understand. During colonization, faced with the prohibition of worshipping the orixás, enslaved Africans associated their deities with Catholic saints to continue revering them under another name. It was a strategy of survival and resistance, not a declaration that Orixá and saint were the same thing. The lady of fresh waters, a mother who welcomes and nurtures, was mirrored in the Marian figure of the mother who protects under the mantle.
In Recife, where Our Lady of Mount Carmel is the patron saint, this connection is especially strong: there, unlike the rest of the country, Oxum is associated with the saint and celebrated in terreiros in July, as a column in Folha de Pernambuco recalls. The Água Doce Festival, for example, was created to exalt Oxum on the date of Recife's patron saint, according to the report from Folha de Pernambuco about the festival. It is worth noting an important nuance: the sacred is not mathematical, and each terreiro lives this association in its own way.
This logic of linking each Orixá to a saint and a date is the same that organizes the cycle of Afro-Brazilian festivals, as shown in the calendar of the orixás.
Oxum in Umbanda and Candomblé
Although she is the same Orixá, the lady of the fresh waters is not lived in the same way in the two traditions, and confusing them erases what each one has of its own.
In Umbanda, the Orixá is usually affectionately called Mamãe Oxum and acts as a vibration linked to love, family, fertility, and prosperity. Popular Catholicism is more present here, and Marian dates, such as July 16 and October 12, mark the calendar of the giras and the tributes. As each house situates the orixá, the color she uses and who descends in the gira in her name are in Oxum in Umbanda.
In Candomblé, she is an iabá worshipped with her assentamento, her foundations and her foods, and she appears in different qualities, each with its own history and temperament. The date of the festival varies according to the nation and the cycle of the terreiro, and Saturday is the consecrated day. It is also worth noting that part of the people of santo today defend what is called desincretização, separating the Orixá from the Catholic saint to affirm the religion's own identity. These are postures that speak with respect: syncretism is a historical fact of resistance, and separation is an affirmation of autonomy.
To understand Oxum's place in the set of divinities, it is worth reading the overview on what the orixás are.
How to honor Oxum on her day
Devotion to the mother of fresh waters is done with gratitude and respect. What follows is a devotional reference to reverence her at home, remembering that each house has its own orientations and that offerings of foundation and assentamentos are always done under the guidance of a pai or mãe de santo.
- Wear gold-yellow on her day, whether it is December 8, July 16, or October 12, the color of Iyalodê, as a gesture of belonging and joy
- Light a yellow candle in a clean and safe place, visualizing gratitude and asking for serenity, love, and prosperity
- Offer yellow flowers, such as roses, sunflowers, and palms, in a corner of devotion or by the side of a river
- Bring fruits and honey as a gesture of affection, knowing that in some houses honey is a quizila of the Orixá because of an itan, and that, when used, it must be of good provenance
- Look for a fresh water source, a river or a waterfall, for a moment of prayer, always taking care of nature
Devotion tip: turn to the lady of the sweet waters to ask for balance in love, harmony in the family, and prosperity that circulates and generates life. Iyalodê teaches that abundance, like the river, needs to flow to not stagnate.
An essential care completes the gesture: when taking offerings to the water, never use plastic, glass, styrofoam, or items that leave residue. Honoring Oxum is also respecting her house, the nature she rules. Prefer what is biodegradable and collect what is left over.
The conscious choice of the candle is part of the reverence. To understand the meaning of each color, see the guide of ritual candles and their meanings. And for a devotional bath with the herbs of the Orixá, from the neck down, consult the step by step of the herbal bath for Oxum. The care with each item taken to the Orixá is in the guide of offering for Oxum.
Frequently asked questions
What is the day of Oxum?
During the week, Oxum's day is Saturday. In the year, the date varies according to the region and the house: December 8 (Our Lady of the Conception), the most widespread, July 16 (Our Lady of Mount Carmel), strong in the Northeast, and October 12 (Our Lady of Aparecida), in the Southeast and Midwest.
Why is Oxum's day December 8?
Because, in most states, Oxum was syncretized with Our Lady of the Conception, whose Catholic feast is on December 8. The date is celebrated by many houses of Umbanda and Candomblé and, in the South, it even gathers tributes to the Orixá and the saint on the same day, as in Rio Grande (RS). Where December 8 is for Oxum and where it is for Iemanjá is in Our Lady of the Conception and Oxum.
Why is Oxum's day July 16?
Because the orixá was syncretized with Our Lady of Mount Carmel, whose Catholic feast falls on July 16. During the time of slavery, associating the mother of fresh waters with a saint allowed the worship to remain alive under persecution, and the date remained in the tradition of many houses, especially in Recife.
What is the month of Oxum?
There is no fixed month for Oxum in all traditions. The annual feasts are concentrated in December (day 8), July (day 16) and October (day 12), depending on the date each house adopts. Throughout the year, Saturday is her day.
What is Oxum's day in Umbanda?
In Umbanda, Oxum's weekly day is Saturday, and the annual feast follows the house's date. Many houses in the South and Southeast celebrate on December 8 or October 12; in the Northeast, July 16 is common. It is worth asking your terreiro which date it follows.
What is Oxum's greeting?
The traditional greeting is “Ora yeyê ô!”, from the Yoruba Òóré Yéyé ó!, a reverence to the kind and graceful mother. It is the affectionate way to greet Iyalodê, directed to the mother of fresh waters as if speaking to one's own mother.
Where to buy items for Oxum
At Joia Mística Laroyê, you find everything to honor the mother of fresh waters with respect and devotion:
- Statues of Oxum with the golden abebê, for your altar or devotion corner
- Yellow and golden candles, in the colors of Iyalodê
- Yellow flowers and arrangements for devotional offerings
- Bead necklaces (guias) and beads gold-yellow and crystal for your faith
- Herbs, honey and perfumes linked to the energy of the lady of the sweet waters
Visit our shop in Extrema-MG and we ship to all of Brazil. For guidance on the correct use of products and the best way to honor Oxum on her day, talk to us via WhatsApp.
References
- Reginaldo Prandi (USP): Mythology of the Orixás
- Folha de Pernambuco, Inspiração Recife column, 02/16/2024: Recife has a thousand charms
- Germana Macambira, Folha de Pernambuco, July 13, 2022: Água Doce Festival at Morro da Conceição
- Wikipedia: Entry about Oxum
- Lucas Veloso, Alma Preta, 12/06/2019: On Oxum's Day, we tell a little about this orixá
- Yasmin Oliveira, Correio, 02/01/2024: The kingdom of sweet waters at Dique do Tororó receives the gift of Oxum
- Rogério Amaral Pereira, Revista Presença Geográfica, v. 5, n. 2, 2018: Spatialities of faith: devotion to Oxum and Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception in Rio Grande-RS
