The Pombagira Dama da Noite is a falange of the feminine of Exu with a record in academic research, cited by Reginaldo Prandi and found in the field in a terreiro in Minas Gerais. The name is also an old nickname for pombagira in general. A large part of what circulates about her has no source, such as a unique color, fixed pair, and death story.
This guide brings together what research records and shows where the houses diverge. This way you arrive at the terreiro knowing what to ask.
Who is the Pombagira Dama da Noite
Dama da Noite is a falange, a line of work within the feminine of Exu. Many spirits serve under the same name, and each house knows its own. The general concept is in the guide about who is Pombagira.
Reginaldo Prandi, from USP, lists Pombagira Dama da Noite among the best known. She appears alongside Maria Padilha, Sete Saias, Maria Molambo, and Cigana. In the text Pombagira and the unconfessed faces of Brazil, he writes that pombagiras are many, "each with its own name, appearance, preferences, symbols, and particular cantigas".
The most recent field record comes from Minas. Dama da Noite is in the dissertation of Fábio da Silva Gonçalves, from UFMG and Unimontes. She is one of the ten pombagiras worshiped in the terreiro of umbanda Zambi-Iris, in Bocaiuva.
For Prandi, pombagira is "a woman-Exu, as she herself likes to be called". She is a working spirit of quimbanda and of the left line of umbanda. In the house in Bocaiuva, Dama da Noite herself, incorporated, spoke to the researcher about who blames the pombagiras for what they desire in secret:
“[…] end up outsourcing their secret promiscuous desires and blaming us.”
Pombagira Dama da Noite, in a field record from Gonçalves (UFMG, 2017)
Why the name Dama da Noite
“Dama da noite” also describes the pombagira in general. Prandi summarizes the portrait that the imaginary makes of her: sometimes “the great lady, fine and refined, but always dama da noite”. Wikipedia reads the symbols of bohemia, cigarettes, and champagne as a reflection of the archetype of the “damas da noite”.
Therefore, many characteristics of “Dama da Noite” that appear on the internet are, in fact, characteristics of any pombagira.
The plant of the same name is confusing. “Dama-da-noite” is the popular name for several species, such as Cestrum nocturnum and Ipomoea alba. Those of the genus Cestrum are toxic if ingested. A technical bulletin from Uniderp records liver damage in intoxicated animals. They do not go into tea or drinks.
No strong source links the falange (spiritual legion) to the plant. The idea that she arrives with the perfume of the flower only appears on spirituality sites.
With which Exu does Dama da Noite work
There is no fixed pair with a source. The Exu who accompanies Dama da Noite is the foundation of the house and changes from terreiro to terreiro.
The only pair documented in research comes from a single house. In Zambi-Iris, the food of Dama da Noite was served along with that of Exu Gato Preto. This shows how that house organizes the ritual work. It does not serve as a rule for others.
Whoever looks for the answer on Google finds the falange (spiritual legion) paired with several exus: Tiriri, Caveira, Capa Preta, Veludo, Marabô, Morcego, and Meia-Noite. The long list already answers. If seven exus appear as her pair, none is the pair for all houses. Whoever says which one works in your house is the leader.
Colors, day, and greeting: what varies
Nature: pombagira spiritual legion (falange) | Base colors of the pombagira: red and black | Most cited gira day: Friday | Greeting: Laroyê, Dama da Noite
The base colors and Friday apply to pombagira in general. Prandi records red and black clothes and giras "very late at night, usually on Fridays." The greeting follows the form Gonçalves noted in the field: Laroyê followed by the name, and the name followed by "é Mojubá".
Regarding Dama da Noite in particular, sources diverge:
| Item | What circulates |
|---|---|
| Colors | Black and dark blue in a BH terreiro; purple, black and gold on a tarot site; red, white or yellow roses in a Maringá center |
| Day | No specific day of the week with a source; Friday is for pombagira in general. In Porto Alegre, Law 13.122/2022 marks June 23 as the Day of Pomba Gira Dama da Noite, a municipal date (pombagira day) |
| Exu | Black Cat in a researched house, and seven others in the searches |
| Line | Sites say she works for Oxum (Oshun), without a source to support this |
When someone presents one of these colors as the correct one, they are speaking of their house's custom. It is legitimate, as long as it is stated with that name.
What Dama da Noite likes to receive
The same as the other pombagiras. In the terreiro where Gonçalves researched, the offerings of the ten pombagiras "are not very different." There is no specific menu for Dama da Noite with a source.
Prandi's record for pombagira includes these items:
- Open red roses, never buds
- Perfume, jewelry and costume jewelry
- Champagne or cider, which he calls "cheap champagne made of apple"
- Cigarillo
- Red and black candles
In Zambi-Iris, the pombagira drinks the sparkling wine and pours a little into the glass that stays at the assentamento. Melina Sousa Gomes, from UFC, records the same rule for fine drinks. Champagne and vermouth stay with the pombagiras, and cachaça and whiskey with the exus. The detail by spirit is in Pombagira drink.
Where, when, and how it is delivered is the house's decision. The rule of the researched terreiro applies anywhere: collect the offered material whenever possible. The delivery precautions are in offering for Exu.
The stories told and what is not asked
The life stories of Dama da Noite do not match each other. One says of a woman killed by a man in a ballroom. Another, of a rich and beautiful woman. None have authorship. Prandi recalls that many pombagiras are considered spirits of the dead, "some with very popular mythical biographies".
Names like Dama da Noite das Almas and Dama da Noite da Encruzilhada also circulate, without explained foundation on the sites that use them. And the profile of a son of Dama da Noite is not taken from an internet list.
This guide does not deal with love binding ritual nor with ritual work with a promise of result. The Pombagira assentamento also stays out of the do-it-yourself. In Quimbanda, the assentamentos are kept reserved, and whoever conducts the rite needs to be initiated. Emerson Giumbelli and Leonardo Oliveira de Almeida record this in the Journal of Anthropology.
Frequently asked questions
Who was the Pombagira Dama da Noite?
Dama da Noite is the name of a falange. The life stories circulating about her contradict each other and have no authorship. Prandi records that many pombagiras carry a "very popular mythical biography." These narratives belong to the devotion of each house and do not tell the life of a documented woman.
Does Dama da Noite work in the cemetery?
No source confirms this. The name Dama da Noite das Almas circulates, and Prandi records that pombagira despachos go to crossroads, cemeteries, and other locations, depending on the ritual work. The place of each falange is the foundation of the house, and only the leader can answer.
What does Pombagira Dama da Noite drink?
Sources record fine drinks for pombagira in general: champagne, sparkling wine, white wine, cider, and vermouth. In the terreiro researched in Bocaiuva, the pombagira offerings are almost indistinguishable by name. No exclusive drink for Dama da Noite has a source.
Does the Exu test show Dama da Noite?
No. The test of your Exu is a doorway and has Pombagira results, but it does not point to a falange. The spirit that works with you is known in the gira, with the leader of the house.
Where to buy items for Pombagira
At Joia Mística Laroyê you find what your house uses in the left line:
- Pombagira statues in resin, in various models and sizes
- Red and black candles, taper and seven-day
- Perfumes and essences for the altar
- Cups and mirrors for the Pombagira table
- Bead necklaces assembled in the colors your house uses
Stop by the shop, at Rua Benedito Zingari, 460, Bela Vista, in Extrema-MG, or message on WhatsApp with delivery to all of Brazil.
References
- Reginaldo Prandi: Pombagira and the Unconfessed Faces of Brazil, 1996
- Fábio da Silva Gonçalves: food in the terreiros of Bocaiuva, UFMG, 2017
- Giumbelli and Almeida: The enigma of Quimbanda, USP, 2021
- Melina Sousa Gomes: drink in an Umbanda terreiro, ABA, 2016
- Wikipedia: Pombajira
- Porto Alegre: Law 13.122/2022, Day of Pomba Gira Dama da Noite
