The day of Pombagira is not just one: her gira happens at night, on Monday or Friday, and each terreiro decides the day and frequency.
There are houses that hold the gira only on the first or last Monday or Friday of the month. Others call the people of the left line after midnight, at the end of the session. In the year, what exists are house festivals and municipal laws of Porto Alegre, one per falange. The August 13th from social media has no source.
What is the day of Pombagira during the week?
The day of Pombagira during the week is Monday or Friday, depending on the terreiro. In Umbanda, researcher Cristiane Amaral de Barros recorded the worship of Exu and Pombagira "generally in sessions on Mondays or Fridays". And each house is free to choose.
Week: Monday or Friday, depending on the house | Time: late at night | Month: August, in houses in Porto Velho | National law: none known
What other research found in the field:
- Fridays, late at night: is the record of Reginaldo Prandi for consultations with Pombagira.
- First Mondays of the month: is the day of an Umbanda practitioner from Porto Velho.
- Full moon Friday: is the recommended day for the left line in a house in Ribeirão Preto.
Pombagira is considered a feminine Exu. Therefore, her day usually goes along with that of Exu. The portrait of the spirit is in who is Pombagira.
Why Friday, and why Monday
Friday is the most cited day. Prandi, in Revista USP, quotes Mariza Soares: in umbanda, Friday is the day of the Exu giras, at night. The "hora grande" from Friday to Saturday is when the exus manifest and work.
In a USP thesis, Mariana Leal de Barros writes that Friday is, in general, the day of the Pombagira cults. She recalls, quoting Francisco Bethencourt, that Friday was the day of the Venus cult. The thesis does not say that the custom originated from there.
Monday has another history. In the queto nation candomblé, Monday is the day of the Exu orixá. The Exu of umbanda is another: it is the spirit of a dead person. Even so, there are umbanda houses that perform the gira de esquerda on Monday. The table of orixás (orishas) by day is in days of the week of the orixás.
The day can change even within the same house. A terreiro in Ribeirão Preto performed the giras on Fridays in 2006. Later, it began performing them on Mondays, every week.
The time: night, near midnight
More than the day, the sources speak of the time. Prandi describes the sessions as "very late at night." Barros speaks of midnight, the "hora grande." A dissertation from Goiás, by Lenny Alvarenga, records the Exu ritual work in umbanda at midnight and in the early morning. Not at 6am or 6pm, which in Catholicism are the hours of the Angelus.
The dates of the year: house festival, August, and the Queen Festival
In the year, the house marks the festival. Prandi records candomblé terreiros with a large annual festival for Exu and Pombagira. In umbanda, some terreiros perform the povo de rua festival in June.
In Porto Velho, Nilza Lagos found houses that perform at least one ritual per month for Exu and Pombagira. There, August is the month dedicated to them. In one house, the feast of Dona Maria Padilha was on August 26. The entire month has its own text: August month in Umbanda.
In Fortaleza, an Umbanda terreiro has held the Feast of the Queen, of the Pombagira Sete Encruzilhadas, since 1987. It is on the second Saturday of November, after seven preparatory giras.
“Since there is no standard pattern for the ordering of the cults, each terreiro is free to determine its days and the periodicity of the same.” Cristiane Amaral de Barros, dissertation at UFJF, 2006
The laws of Porto Alegre: one day for each spiritual legion (falange)
Porto Alegre has eleven municipal laws that give a day to a spiritual legion (falange) of Pombagira. None create a general day.
| spiritual legion (falange) | Day | Law |
|---|---|---|
| Rosa Negra | March 8 | 13.123/2022 |
| Soberana Maria Padilha | March 9 | 12.781/2020 |
| Rainha do Cruzeiro | May 26 | 13.112/2022 |
| Maria Quitéria das Almas | June 6 | 13.114/2022 |
| Dama da Noite | June 23 | 13.122/2022 |
| Seven Crossroads | June 27 | 13.135/2022 |
| Maria Mulambo | July 7 | 12.908/2021 |
| Rosa Caveira | July 13 | 12.932/2021 |
| Maria Navalha | September 30 | 13.133/2022 |
| Rosa Vermelha | November 11 | 13.132/2022 |
| Maria Caveira | November 13 | 13.088/2022 |
They are municipal commemorative dates, proposed by council members, and valid for one city. A house from another place does not need to follow any of them. Five of them have a profile on the blog: Maria Padilha, Maria Mulambo, Dama da Noite, Rosa Caveira, Maria Quitéria. The others are under pombagira names.
At the federal level, there is the National Day of Umbanda, November 15. The date has its own text in Day of Umbanda.
August 13 and July 22: dates that circulate without a source
The August 13 appears in posts as the day of Pombagira. No research or open law for this text supports the date for her. The law with August 13 that we found is for Exu: the Municipal Day of Exu Sr. Velho Omulu, in Porto Alegre (Law 13.416/2023).
What a search links to August is the month, and not the day 13. The date of Exu in June has its own text: day of Exu, June 13.
The July 22 also circulates without a source. If your house celebrates on one of these dates, the custom is of the house.
What to do on the day of Pombagira
First, know the day of your house, because it is the one that marks the gira. Those who do not attend a terreiro can ask at the nearest house before bringing anything.
The house usually asks for what the Pombagira uses on land. Prandi lists perfumes, champagne, cigarillos, and open red roses, never buds. The candles are red, black, and, sometimes, white. In the shop, there is a single color red candle and black candle, perfume, and a glass. The rest is in offering for Pombagira and in pombagira drink.
There are those who care for her at home. A mãe de santo from Ribeirão Preto cares for the spirit guides every fifteen days. On a Friday, she placed drink for the exus, without incorporating a spirit.
If the house asked for a material and you want to check before buying, Joice clears up the doubt via WhatsApp.
Frequently asked questions
Is Monday Pombagira day?
In many houses, yes. In Umbanda, the gira of Exu and Pombagira is on Mondays or Fridays, and each terreiro chooses. An Umbandista from Porto Velho works with Pombagira on the first Mondays of the month. In Candomblé queto, Monday is for Exu orixá.
Is Friday Pombagira day?
Yes, it is the most cited day in research. Prandi records consultations with Pombagira late at night, generally on Fridays. A thesis from USP says that Friday is, in general, the day of Pombagira cults. Even so, there are houses that do the gira on Monday.
Is August 13th Pombagira day?
There is no source for this. The date circulates on social media, but no research or law consulted links it to Pombagira. The law in Porto Alegre with August 13th is for Exu Sr. Velho Omulu, from 2023. One research records the entire month of August as the month of Exu and Pombagira in Porto Velho.
Is there a national Pombagira day?
We did not find a national law for Pombagira. At the federal level, there is the National Umbanda Day, November 15th. The official dates for pombagiras are municipal. Porto Alegre gave a day to eleven falanges, such as Maria Padilha on March 9th and Maria Mulambo on July 7th.
References
- Reginaldo Prandi, Herdeiras do Axé: Pombagira and the unconfessed faces of Brazil
- Reginaldo Prandi, Esboços (UFSC): Heart of Pombagira
- Reginaldo Prandi, Horizontes Antropológicos: African gods in contemporary Brazil
- Reginaldo Prandi, Revista USP: Exu, from messenger to devil
- Cristiane Amaral de Barros, UFJF: Iemanjá and Pombagira
- Mariana Leal de Barros, USP: Labareda, your name is woman
- Lenny Alvarenga, PUC Goiás: The resignifications of Exu within Umbanda
- Nilza Lagos, UMESP: Move over man, a woman is coming
- Carvalho and Bairrão, USP Psychology: Umbanda and Quimbanda
- Jean Souza dos Anjos, GIS (USP): The gira I do is firm!
- Porto Alegre: Law 12.781/2020, Maria Padilha and Law 13.416/2023, Exu Sr. Velho Omulu
- Planalto: Law 12.644/2012, National Umbanda Day
