Oxum in Umbanda is the orixá of waterfalls and fresh waters, celebrated on Saturdays. The candle is blue in most houses and yellow in some. In Matta e Silva and at NUSS, she is a falange of the Iemanjá line. In most houses, those who descend in the gira in her name are caboclas from this falange.
Who is Oxum in Umbanda
Oxum is the orixá of the river, gold, and fertility that Candomblé worships. Umbanda lives her in its own way. The myths, qualities, and Yoruba origin are in who is Oxum.
In the Templo de Umbanda Mamãe Oxum, in Anastácio (MS), her point of strength is "waterfalls, rivers, any fresh water." A medium heard by researcher Cristiane Barros summarizes:
"Oxum is the queen of the waterfall, of the waterfall currents, of fresh water." Umbanda medium, in Barros (UFJF, 2006)
In Umbanda, according to Barros, Oxum "transmutes into a generous, fecund, and fertile mother." She loses the seductive side she has in the myths.
Does Oxum have her own line in Umbanda?
In old authors, no. In 1933, the writer Leal de Souza, from the house of Zélio de Moraes, listed seven lines, from Oxalá (Obatala) to the Santo line. None were of Oxum. Oxum appeared as the name of Maria: the children of Umbanda called the Virgin "Mãe Axum (Oxum)".
| Source | Where Oxum enters |
|---|---|
| Leal de Souza, Rio de Janeiro, 1933 | without a line; "Mãe Axum" is an invocation of Maria |
| Matta and Silva, by Lages (UFJF, 2003) | Cabocla Oxum, fifth falange of the Iemanjá line |
| São Sebastião Umbandista Center (NUSS), São Paulo | head of the mermaid falange, in the Iemanjá line |
| National Umbanda Sanctuary, Santo André (SP) | first part of the Third Line, "which ends in Iemanjá" |
| Umbanda Sagrada, according to Cumino (2015) | 2nd line, "Sense of Love", with Oxumaré (Oshumare) |
The researcher Sônia Lages, who summarizes Matta and Silva, warns: "classifications vary". The expression "line of Love" appears in Umbanda Sagrada, in Cumino's formulation, one school among many. The comparison of the lines is in the 7 lines of umbanda.
Who descends in the Oxum line
In most authors, the orixá does not descend in person. Lages summarizes Matta and Silva: the orixás "pass on their attributes to the spirits", without presenting themselves "personally in the terreiro, as occurs in Candomblé". Who comes are the caboclas and the water people.
- Caboclas with names. Prandi, Vallado and Souza, cited by Nogueira (UFJF), link Oxum to the caboclas Lua Nova, Jandaia, Cabocla Menina and Estrela Dourada. A bill from Porto Alegre (2023) calls Cabocla Iara "one of the falangeiras of the Oxum line". In Matta and Silva, Cabocla Yara is in the Iemanjá line, together with Cabocla Oxum.
- The Oxuns and the mermaids. For NUSS, from the Iemanjá line come "the famous mermaids and the Oxuns." They clear the terreiro and the people.
- The crying. The ones sent by Oxum, says NUSS, sing "when the environment or a person is well" and cry in the opposite. A medium from Campo Grande (MS) says she has "water people crossed with Mamãe Iemanjá and Oxum" and that this people cries.
On the left, Matta and Silva put the Exu (Eshu) do Mar working with the Cabocla Oxum, in the vibration of Iemanjá. More about these spirits in caboclos in umbanda and in the test discover your spirit. If in doubt, ask the leader of your gira.
Oxum's color in umbanda: blue or yellow?
Day: Saturday | Most cited color: blue | Power point: waterfall | Greeting: Ora iêiê ô
The Sanctuary summarizes: "Your color and candle in umbanda are blue, despite some temples using yellow (more common in Candomblé)."
| Source | Color of Oxum |
|---|---|
| Federação de Umbanda e Candomblé do Estado de São Paulo (FUCESP) | dark blue in umbanda, gold yellow in candomblé |
| NUSS, São Paulo | dark blue candles |
| TUCTVC, São José dos Campos (SP) | dark blue and yellow candle |
| Terreiro de Umbanda Ogum (Ogun) Beira Mar, Passo Fundo (RS) | dark blue bead necklaces and small jars |
| Templo de Umbanda Pai Oxalá, Campo Grande (MS) | blue light on the firmeza of Oxum |
| Tenda Espírita Mamãe Oxum, Juiz de Fora (MG) | light blue |
| Terreiro Pai Maneco, Curitiba | white and light yellow candles on the amalá |
Why blue? For Nogueira (UFJF), the colors also appear in the saints: "the light blue of Oxum is present in the mantle of the Virgin of Conceição". In Passo Fundo, dark blue represents "the bottom of the rivers".
To light at home, the blue candle of a single color is the one that appears most. The yellow one is valid if your house uses yellow. The tests which candle to light and which bead necklace to use help in the choice, and the color of the bead necklace follows the house. The orixá's profile is in Oxum.
Day, date and the saint on the congá
Saturday is the day of Oxum at FUCESP, at the Santuário and at TUCTVC. The date changes with the saint of each house:
- October 12, Aparecida. It is the date of worship at TUCTVC. At Templo Mamãe Oxum, the first greeting of the festival gira is Oxum, and only after that come the caboclos.
- December 8, Conceição. In the same temple, the leader performs on December 8 "the ritual work of My mother who is Oxum". The FUCESP provides both dates.
On the congá, the statue also varies. In Passo Fundo, "Our Lady Aparecida is the statue used for the consecrated foundation (assentamento) of Oxum". In Campo Grande, Oxum's firmeza (ritual strengthening) has the Conceição in a stone cave that resembles the waterfall.
The piece is in Oxum statue; the saint, in Our Lady Aparecida and Oxum; the other dates, in Oxum day.
Waterfall and what is requested from Oxum
For the NUSS, the waterfalls "are also domains of Xangô (Shango) and are jointly consecrated to Oxum". In the gira of this house, it is Oxum who normally opens the fluidic cleansing of the people and the temple. In the house obligations, white roses without thorns, dark blue candles, and pure water are used.
The NUSS finds it unnecessary to light a candle at the waterfall, because "they only dirty the place". The Sanctuary says that the waterfalls "are only for bathing and must be preserved". What to bring is in offering for Oxum, and the pontos, in ponto de Oxum.
In the TUCTVC list, one requests from Oxum "Self-love and affective harmony", prosperity, and "protection in pregnancy". At Terreiro Pai Maneco, it is to her that help is requested when a woman has difficulty getting pregnant. The prayer request of love to Oxum is self-love and harmony, without binding anyone. To check the candle or the flowers that the house requested, Joia Mística Laroyê can be reached via WhatsApp.
Oxum in Umbanda and Candomblé: what changes
The big difference is the presence. In Candomblé, the orixá presents themselves in the terreiro. In the Umbanda of Matta and Silva, they pass the attributes to the spirits.
The color also changes. In Reginaldo Prandi's table for Ketu candomblé, Oxum's clothing is "yellow or gold with a bit of blue". There she rules gold and vanity; in umbanda, according to Barros, she becomes above all a mother.
See also qualities of Oxum, Oxum in batuque and children of Oxum.
Frequently asked questions
What is Oxum's color in umbanda?
Blue, in most houses with published text. It is dark blue in FUCESP, in NUSS and in Passo Fundo, and light blue in a tent in Juiz de Fora. Yellow appears in some umbanda houses and is her color in candomblé. Follow the color of your house.
Does Oxum incorporate in umbanda?
In most authors, no: who descends are caboclas and the water people of her falange. In a study by Terreiro Pai Maneco, a leader summarizes: "Cosmic Orixá does not incorporate, he vibrates". The house itself reminds that there are terreiros where incorporation happens.
Oxum in umbanda is which saint?
It depends on the house and the region. Our Lady Aparecida is the most cited, with a feast on October 12. There are houses with Conceição, on December 8, and NUSS cites Glória. The syncretism "does not mean that the two figures are exactly the same deity", reminds TUCTVC.
What to request from Oxum in umbanda?
Self-esteem, emotional harmony, prosperity, fertility and protection during pregnancy, according to TUCTVC; in Terreiro Pai Maneco, help to get pregnant. The prayer request is for your path, before the blue or yellow candle, with your own words. Requests to bind another person are not accepted.
References
- Leal de Souza, 1933 book: O Espiritismo, a Magia e as Sete Linhas de Umbanda
- Lages, UFJF (2003): Exu: light and shadows
- Nogueira, UFJF (2014): the caboclo in umbanda
- Barros, UFJF (2006): Iemanjá and Pombagira
- Constantino, UFMS (2023): Enchanted body (Corpo encantado)
- Silva, UFMS (2024): Templo de Umbanda Mamãe Oxum
- Bertocho, UFFS (2019): Terreiro de Umbanda Ogum Beira Mar
- Prandi, Anthropological Horizons (1995): African gods in Brazil
- Câmara Municipal de Porto Alegre (2023): opinion on Cabocla Iara Day
- Houses: TUCTVC, NUSS, Oxum, Linha de Iemanjá and As Cachoeiras, FUCESP, Santuário Nacional da Umbanda, Pai Maneco, Oxum and Oxalá na Umbanda
