In Umbanda, Monday is the day of Exu, Tuesday of Ogum, Wednesday of Xangô and Iansã, Thursday of Oxóssi, Friday of Oxalá and Saturday of Iemanjá and Oxum. Sunday is the day that varies the most: Oxalá, Ibeji or the line of the souls, depending on the house.
Below is the entire week in a table, the short answer for each day and the variations that appear from terreiro to terreiro and between Umbanda and Candomblé.
Which orixá rules each day of the week
Each day of the week has a ruling orixá, with its own color and greeting. In the most followed Umbanda table, the week goes from Exu on Monday to Iemanjá and Oxum on Saturday, and Sunday changes depending on the house. The third column brings other orixás that some houses and Candomblé place on the same day.
| Day of the week | Ruling orixá | Other orixás of the day, according to the house | Color | Greeting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Exu | Omolu (Omulu), Nanã (Nana Buruku), Pretos Velhos and Souls | Black and red | Laroyê, Exu! |
| Tuesday | Ogum | Oxumaré (Oshumare), Irokô | Red and dark blue | Ogunhê! |
| Wednesday | Xangô and Iansã | Obá (Oba) | Brown and yellow | Kaô Kabecilê! Eparrei, Oyá! |
| Thursday | Oxóssi | Ossaim (Osanyin), Logunedé (Logun Ede) | Green | Okê Arô! |
| Friday | Oxalá | Oxum, in many houses | White | Epa Babá! |
| Saturday | Iemanjá and Oxum | Nanã; in the queto, Oxumaré and Ewá (Yewa) | Light blue and gold | Odoyá! Ora ie ie ô! |
| Sunday | Oxalá or Ibeji, depending on the house | Line of the souls (Nanã, Omolu and Pretos Velhos) | White | Epa Babá! |
This is the most common table, not a single truth. Each terreiro has its own, and that of your pai or mãe de santo is worth more than any list on the internet, including this one.
Which orixá is each day of the week?
Which orixá is Monday?
Monday is the day of Exu, the orixá of paths and communication, greeted with "Laroyê!". In Reginaldo Prandi's table for queto candomblé, Monday is also for Omolu and Nanã, and many umbanda houses add the Pretos Velhos and the Souls.
Monday being the day of Exu has nothing negative about it. Contrary to prejudice, Exu is not the devil: he is the messenger who opens the paths for everything to begin, and for that reason, he is the first to be greeted in any ritual work. It is a good day to ask for the opening of paths.
Which orixá is Tuesday?
Tuesday is the day of Ogum, the warrior orixá, lord of iron and roads, greeted with "Ogunhê!". FUCESP, the umbanda federation of São Paulo, gives Tuesday to Ogum, with the color red in umbanda and navy blue in candomblé. It is the day to ask for strength, courage and protection in the battles of daily life.
Some houses also dedicate Tuesday to Oxumaré and Irokô, or to the ritual work lines of the Boiadeiros and Baianos. A batuque house in Rio Grande do Sul gives Tuesday to Iansã (see the day of Iansã).
Whose day is Wednesday, which orixá's?
Wednesday is the day of Xangô, the orixá of justice, fire, and thunder, greeted with "Kaô Kabecilê!", and of Iansã (or Oyá), the lady of the winds, of "Eparrei!". In Prandi's table for the queto, Obá also falls on Wednesday. It is the day to ask for justice and balance. In the Batuque, a house from Rio Grande do Sul, Ilé Àsé Odé and Iemanjá, gives Xangô Tuesday. Who is the orixá is in who is Xangô, and his dates in the year, in day of Xangô.
Which orixá is Thursday's day?
Thursday is the day of Oxóssi, the hunter orixá, lord of the forests and abundance, with the color green and the greeting "Okê Arô!". Prandi also places Ossaim, owner of the leaves, and Logunedé on Thursday. It is the day to ask for prosperity and sustenance. The annual festival of Oxóssi, from January 20 to the Thursday of Corpus Christi in Salvador, is in day of Oxóssi.
Which orixá is Friday's day?
Friday is the day of Oxalá, the father of all orixás, when one wears white as a sign of peace. In Prandi's table for the queto, Oxaguiã and Oxalufã, the two forms of Oxalá, fall on Friday, and FUCESP writes "Friday or Sunday" (see day of Oxalá).
Here appears the most common divergence of the week: many houses place Oxum on Friday, and not on Saturday.
Which orixá is Saturday's day?
Saturday is the day of Iemanjá, the queen of the sea, greeted with "Odoyá!", and of Oxum, lady of the fresh waters, of "Ora ie ie ô!". It is the "day of the waters", to ask for welcoming, love, and abundance. Some houses include Nanã, and in Prandi's table for the queto, Saturday is also of Oxumaré and of Ewá.
Which orixá is Sunday's day?
Sunday is the day that changes the most from house to house. In Umbanda, it appears as the day of Oxalá: TUCTVC gives Sunday and FUCESP, "Friday or Sunday." Other houses dedicate Sunday to Ibeji, the twin orixás, and to the Children, the erês of Umbanda.
The sources diverge among themselves:
- Oxalá: TUCTVC and FUCESP (the latter, "Friday or Sunday"). A batuque house in Porto Alegre also gives Sunday to Oxalá.
- Ibeji: the Terra article about the days of the week in Umbanda gives Sunday to Ibeji; the O Povo one puts Exu and Ibeji.
- Line of the souls: the Raízes Espirituais portal opens the Sunday page with "the day of the line of the souls led by Omulú and Nanã and also the day of the Pretos Velhos".
In Prandi's table for queto Candomblé, no orixá is left with Sunday: Oxalá is on Friday. If your terreiro did not make it clear, ask the pai or mãe de santo which line the house's Sunday belongs to.
How to honor the orixá of the day
Honoring the orixá of the day is simple and does not require a complex ritual. Look at the day of the week in the table above and choose a gesture:
- Light a candle in the color of the orixá of the day, with respect and a clear intention.
- Use or wear the color corresponding, whenever you want to reinforce the connection.
- Make the greeting of the orixá, out loud or in thought.
- Care for your head orixá with special affection on the day he rules.
You do not need to do everything. A moment of reverence, a lit candle, and a sincere greeting already honor the day. Umbanda is made of simple and true gestures.
If the doubt is about today's date in the year, and not just the day of the week, the calendar of the orixás shows which orixá each date belongs to and when each one's festival falls.
Why each terreiro has a different table
If you compare two lists of the orixás' days of the week, you will find differences. This is not an error: it is the living diversity of the houses. The distribution of an orixá for each day appears in umbanda and also in the table of attributes that Prandi published for the queto rite candomblé, highlighting Oxalá's white Friday.
The most common discrepancies are:
- Oxum: on Friday in many houses, on Saturday in others.
- Oxalá: Friday in queto candomblé (Prandi); Friday or Sunday in FUCESP; Sunday in TUCTVC and in a batuque house. See Oxalá's day.
- Iansã: Wednesday in most; one batuque house in Rio Grande do Sul gives it to Tuesday.
- Oxumaré: Tuesday in part of umbanda, Saturday in Prandi's table for the queto.
- Sunday: of Oxalá in some houses, of Ibeji and the Children in others, of the souls line in others.
In the face of any doubt, the final reference is the tradition of your pai or mãe de santo.
Day of the week is not the date of the annual festival
This is the most common confusion for those who research orixás. Each orixá has two different sacred times:
- The ruling day of the week, which repeats every week (the theme of this guide).
- The annual date, the festival that happens once a year, coming from the syncretism with a Catholic saint.
For example: Exu has Monday as the ruling day, but his annual festival is June 13. Oxum is on Saturday (or Friday), but her date is December 8. This syncretism between orixá and saint was a strategy of resistance during colonization, not equivalence, and today Candomblé terreiros are among the heritage sites listed by IPHAN, as shown in the text about terreiros listed by IPHAN. The annual dates, month by month, are in the calendar of the orixás. And, if you are just starting now, start with the guide about what the Orixás are. The day of the week that falls on January 1st is also used as a shortcut for the ruling orixá of the year, and the limits of this shortcut are in ruling orixá of 2027.
Frequently asked questions
What are the days of the week for each orixá?
Monday is for Exu, Tuesday for Ogum, Wednesday for Xangô and Iansã, Thursday for Oxóssi, Friday for Oxalá, and Saturday for Iemanjá and Oxum. Sunday varies: Oxalá, Ibeji, or the line of the souls, depending on the house. Many houses include other orixás and spirits, such as Omolu and the Pretos Velhos on Monday.
Which orixá is Sunday's day?
It depends on the house. In Umbanda, Sunday appears as the day of Oxalá (TUCTVC; FUCESP writes "Friday or Sunday"), of Ibeji and the Children, or of the line of the souls, with Nanã, Omolu, and the Pretos Velhos. In Queto Candomblé, according to Prandi's table, Oxalá is on Friday and no orixá rules Sunday.
Which orixá is Tuesday?
Tuesday is the day of Ogum, the warrior orixá of iron and roads, greeted with "Ogunhê!" and honored with the color red in Umbanda. Some houses also include Oxumaré and Irokô, or the lines of Boiadeiros and Baianos.
Which orixá is Saturday's day?
Saturday is the "day of the waters": ruled by Iemanjá, the queen of the sea, alongside Oxum, lady of the fresh waters. Many houses also include Nanã, and the queto puts Oxumaré and Ewá on Saturday. In some traditions, Oxum is honored on Friday, and Saturday is reserved only for Iemanjá.
Is the day of the week the same as the date of the orixá's festival?
No. The day of the week is the regent and repeats every week, like Exu on Monday. The annual date is the festival that happens once a year, linked to the syncretized saint, like Ogum on April 23. They are two different layers of time and should not be confused.
Is Monday the day of Exu? Is that something bad?
Yes, Monday is the day of Exu, and there is nothing bad about it. Exu is the orixá of paths and communication, the first to be greeted in any ritual. The idea that Exu would be the devil is an old prejudice, with no relation to Afro-Brazilian tradition.
Where to honor the orixá of each day
At Joia Mística Laroyê, you find everything to honor the orixá of the day with respect and tradition:
- Ritual candles by orixá color: white for Oxalá, gold for Oxum, red for Ogum and Iansã, green for Oxóssi
- Herbs and baths: fresh or dry, for baths and smoke cleansings of each orixá
- Statues of orixás: for your altar or congá
- Bead necklaces and offering elements: beads, candles, and ritual items
- Smudge sticks: to prepare the environment on each orixá's day
Visit our shop in Extrema, Minas Gerais or receive it at home with delivery to all of Brazil. For guidance on how to greet the orixá of the day, talk to us via WhatsApp.
References
- Reginaldo Prandi, Horizontes Antropológicos (SciELO), 1995: table of attributes of the orixás in candomblé queto, with the day of the week of each one
- FUCESP: Oxalá, "Friday or Sunday" and Ogum, Tuesday
- TUCTVC: Oxalá, day of the week Sunday
- Terra, Isadora Wandermurem, 2024: the orixás of each day of the week in umbanda
- O Povo, Danielle Christine, 2024: each day of the week is the day of some deities
- Raízes Espirituais, Glaucia Carvalho: Sunday in umbandista worships
- Ilé Àsé Odé and Iemanjá, casa de batuque: Orixás, characteristics and peculiarities
- Decree-Law 25/1937, Presidency of the Republic: heritage listing
