Joia Mística Laroyê
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Purple and White Candle

Forgiveness, prayer for those who left, and peace after pain, with Nanã (Nana Buruku) and Oxalá (Obatala)

Purple and White Candle

7-day candle · stays lit for 7 days7 dias

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The 7-day candle stays lit for 7 days, without stopping.

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There is pain that the purple candle alone embraces, but which also asks for a little light so the person can manage to get up. That is where the purple and white candle comes in. It is sought after a funeral, at the end of a family fight that lasted years, or when someone wants to ask for forgiveness and does not know where to start. In Umbanda, it is a bicolor of seclusion and mourning, lit more to console than to ask for something new.

The two colors are connected from the origin. Nanã is the lady of the primordial mud, and it was from this clay that Oxalá modeled the human being. In Umbanda, purple and lilac are her colors, and white also appears in Nanã's clothes, which is why many people light this bicolor only for the elder one. As for pure white, it belongs to Oxalá, the father who asks for silence and patience. Houses diverge on Nanã's day: Monday in many terreiros, Saturday in others. For Oxalá, Friday.

Whoever lights this candle at home is usually tired of carrying something. It does not erase memories nor undo what happened, and it is not a candle to demand anything from anyone. What it offers is a time of prayer, with the weight of the past on one side and the calm of Oxalá on the other, so that the person can emerge from mourning or guilt a little more whole.

What is it for

What is the purpose of the Purple and White Candle

Purple of Nanã on the bottom, white of Oxalá on the top: the purple and white candle unites the grandmother of the orixás (orishas) with the father of creation. It is lit to forgive and be forgiven, to pray for those who have left, to quiet the house after a loss, and to ask for wisdom in a phase of crisis.

  • Ask for forgiveness and manage to forgive

    When you hurt someone, or someone hurt you, and the wound does not close. The candle accompanies the decision to forgive and to apologize, in the time that it takes.

  • Pray for those who are gone

    In the week of the passing, on the seventh day, or on the anniversary of the departure, light it with the person's name and ask that they move on in peace. It is a prayer of support, not to call them back.

  • Quiet the house after a loss

    After a wake or a long illness in the family, the house feels heavy. The purple and white candle in a common room helps the family to cry together and to slowly resume their routine.

  • Make peace with the family

    For siblings who do not speak, unresolved inheritance, parents and children who are distant. The request is that pride yields on both sides, without forcing anyone to return.

  • Wisdom in a phase of crisis

    When everything seems to collapse at the same time and there is a lack of clarity to choose, the candle asks for the judgment of the elders and the calm of Oxalá before the decision.

Who rules this candle

Orixás and spirits of the Purple and White Candle

  • Illustration of Nanã Buruku in sacred art

    Nanã Buruku

    The oldest of the iabás, mistress of the clay

    In Umbanda, purple and lilac represent Nanã, and white also enters her cloth. Lady of birth and death, she receives this candle for requests of forgiveness, for mourning, and for reconciliation with the family's past.

    Getting to know Nanã Buruku
  • Illustration of Oxalá in sacred art

    Oxalá

    The father of creation, who asks for patience

    Oxalá modeled the human being with Nanã's clay, and the white of this candle is his. The white part brings the peace and the faith that the person needs to cross through the pain without hardening the heart.

    Know Oxalá

Also settled for

  • Pretos Velhos
  • Linha das Almas
  • Vovós of Aruanda

Prayer to light

Prayer of the purple and white candle to Nanã and Oxalá

“Grandmother Nanã, who guards the beginning and the end of everything, I light this candle with what weighs on me. Receive the guilt that I could not let go and the resentment that I kept out of pride. If I hurt someone, may that person find relief; if someone hurt me, may I learn to let go. Support my loved ones who have already departed and let them rest in your lap. Father Oxalá, stretch your white cloth over this house and over my head. Give me patience to wait for the time of forgiveness and faith to start again slowly. May this light do in me what words cannot achieve. Salubá Nanã! Epa Babá!”
Light the candle and pray

Step by step

How to consecrate the Purple and White Candle

  1. 1

    Prepare a corner without metal

    Many houses remember that Nanã does not accept cutting metal. Remove knives, scissors, and iron ornaments from nearby, cover the table with a white cloth, and use clay or ceramic plates.

  2. 2

    Take a ritual bath of leaves before

    A warm ritual bath of boldo or araçá leaf, from the neck down, helps you arrive calmer at the prayer. Wear light clothing and leave your cell phone in another room.

  3. 3

    Place the name under the saucer

    Write on the paper the name of the person who passed away or the one with whom you want to make peace. Fold it and leave it under the plate, away from the flame, with the glass of water beside it.

  4. 4

    Light them while greeting the two

    Strike the match, say Salubá to Nanã and Epa Babá to Oxalá, and tell, in your own words, what you want to let go. Then pray the prayer, without any rush.

  5. 5

    Extinguish without blowing out the flame

    Let the candle burn the entire week. If you have to put it out, smother it with a ceramic lid. At the end, the water goes into a plant pot and the paper is torn and discarded with the wax.

Precautions before lighting

  • Because it burns for consecutive days, the 7-day candle needs a firm base, away from curtains and paper, and out of reach of children and pets.
  • This candle is for forgiveness and peace. It is not for collecting spiritual debts from anyone, for binding a person, or for asking that someone suffer.
  • Assentamento (consecrated altar), food offering, and obligation for Nanã and Oxalá have their own foundation in each house. That is up to the leader of your terreiro.
  • Grief that does not pass and sadness that takes away sleep deserve true care. The candle accompanies, but does not replace the doctor or the psychologist.

Ceromancy

What the flame of the Purple and White Candle shows

Traditional terreiro reading. Before interpreting, check if there is no wind, crooked wick, or poor quality candle.

  • Good sign

    Serene flame and constant height

    It is the most expected burning in this candle. Many houses read it as a welcomed prayer and a heart beginning to calm down, in the slow rhythm that forgiveness asks.

  • Good sign

    Purple and white parts burning equally

    Some houses understand that the pain and peace are balancing each other, without one side swallowing the other. A sign that the prayer request is on the right path.

  • Attention

    Wax tears running a lot

    It is usually read as crying still held inside. It is not a bad sign, but it asks for care with yourself: allow yourself to feel and repeat the prayer on the next day of Nanã.

  • Attention

    Dark smoke at the beginning of the burning

    It may indicate a charged environment after a loss. If the smoke continues in the following days, it is worth seeking guidance in a trusted terreiro.

  • Observe

    Candle that goes out before the end

    First check the wind, the wick, and the quality of the candle. If everything is correct, light it again calmly, repeating the greetings to the two orixás.

Ritual bath and smoke cleansing (defumação)

Herbs that combine with the Purple and White Candle

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Place on the altar

Frequently asked questions

Questions about the Purple and White Candle

Which orixá is the purple and white candle for?

For Nanã and Oxalá together. Purple is for Nanã, the grandmother of the orixás, and white is for Oxalá, the father of creation. Since white is also part of Nanã's colors, many houses light this candle just for her, in requests for forgiveness and in mourning.

What is the difference between the purple candle and the purple and white candle?

The purple one is for Nanã's entire seclusion, for deep sorrow, ancestry, and mourning. The purple and white adds the peace of Oxalá: it is the choice of those who already want to leave the pain, forgive, and start over, and not just go through the suffering.

What is the best day to light the purple and white candle?

Monday or Saturday, depending on the day your house gives to Nanã. Oxalá's Friday also works. To pray for someone who has passed away, many people prefer the seventh day, the month, or the anniversary of the death.

Can I light a purple and white candle for a relative who died?

You can, and this is one of the most common uses. Write the person's name on a piece of paper, leave it under the saucer, and ask that they move on in peace. Many houses also light a white candle for the souls, and both traditions coexist well.

Can I blow out the purple and white candle and light it again?

You can, without blowing. Smother the flame with a lid or saucer and light it again with a match, repeating the greeting. Ideally, the candle should finish burning, but safety comes first when no one will be home.

Can I light this candle inside the house?

You can, for prayers of forgiveness, comfort, and peace in the home. Choose a quiet corner, without sharp metal nearby, and with water nearby. Obligations, the assentamento (consecrated altar), and offerings for Nanã are for the terreiro and its leader.

What to do with the water and the rest of the candle?

The water from the cup goes to the soil of a pot or the backyard, which is the ground of Nanã. The remaining wax and the torn paper go into the common trash, wrapped up. Wash the saucer and the cup before using them again.

To read before lighting

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