Red and White Candle
Justice of Xangô (Shango), steadiness of Ogum (Ogun), and the truth requested with a cool head
Red and White Candle
7-day candle · stays lit for 7 days7 dias
Few people buy the red and white candle by chance. It usually appears when there is a cause in the middle of the path: a lawsuit, a false accusation, a family fight that needs a judge. The red and white candle joins the heat that moves with the calm that weighs, and that is why the religious community links it so much to just judgment.
In the Candomblé of Ketu nation and in the Gaucho Batuque, red and white are the colors of Xangô, the king of Oyó, owner of thunder and the quarry, celebrated on Wednesday. In Umbanda, the picture changes from house to house: many consecrate Xangô with brown and reserve red and white for Ogum, because of Saint George. Neither of the two forms is wrong; what matters is the custom of your terreiro.
Inside the house, it asks for a condition that almost no one remembers: only light it if you are willing to hear the truth, even the one that does not favor you. Xangô does not take the side of whoever asks the loudest. The candle does not win a cause or punish an adversary, and a request for revenge has no place on his scale.
What is it for
What is the Red and White Candle for
Half fire, half peace. The red and white candle is the color of Xangô in Ketu Candomblé and in Batuque, and in Umbanda many houses give it to Ogum. It serves to request justice, truth, firmness in decisions, and protection against slander.
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Justice in a cause or lawsuit
Labor lawsuit, inventory, child custody. Light it requesting that the judgment be clean and that the truth appears, accepting that Xangô weighs both sides of the scale.
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Bring the lie to light
For those who are being targeted by slander, gossip at work, or unfair accusations. The prayer request is for clarity: that everyone be seen as they are, including you.
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Decide with balance
Faced with a big choice, such as changing jobs or ending a partnership, the candle helps to put anger aside and think with the head of a judge, not a party.
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Lead without losing your grip
For those who lead a team, run a business, or need authority. The red gives firmness in the word and the white reminds that respect is earned by being fair.
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Protection in the struggles with Ogum
In the houses of Umbanda that give this color to Ogum, it is lit on Tuesday for protection at work and on the road. It guards those who fight right, not those who provoke the fight.
Who rules this candle
Orixás and spirits of the Red and White Candle
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Xangô
King of Oyó, lord of the scale and the thunder
Red and white are the beads of Xangô in Ketu and in Batuque. The red is the fire of the lightning that falls on the quarry; the white, the righteousness of the king who judges. Wednesday is his, and the amalá also.
Know Xangô -
Ogum
Warrior of the law, winner of demands
In many houses of Umbanda, the syncretism with Saint George gave Ogum the red or red and white bead necklace. There, the bicolor is lit on Tuesday, requesting protection and victory in a just fight. In Ketu, his colors are different.
Know Ogum
Also settled for
- Caboclos of Xangô
- Caboclo Sete Pedreiras
- Caboclos de Ogum
Prayer to light
Prayer of the red and white candle to Xangô
“Pai Xangô, king who lives at the top of the quarry, I light this two-colored candle before you. The red is my fight, the white is my clean intention. I place my cause on your scale and I do not ask for it to tip to my side; I ask for it to tip to the right side. If I am wrong, show me clearly, so that I have the courage to fix it. If the reason is mine, let the truth speak louder than the lie and let no slander stand. Give firmness to my word, calm to my decisions and protection to my steps until the end of this matter. Kaô Kabecilê!”Light the candle and pray
Step by step
How to set the Red and White Candle
- 1
Write the cause on the paper
On a simple piece of paper, write in your own handwriting the subject that needs justice and your full name. Without the adversary's name and without a desire for evil: only the issue and the prayer request for truth.
- 2
Assemble the base on the stone
Place the folded paper on the plate, the stone on top, and the candle beside it, firm. The stone recalls the quarry of Xangô and the weight of a decision that does not move with conversation.
- 3
Scatter the leaves around
If you have louro or quebra-pedra, make a circle of leaves around the plate, without touching the wick. Louro is the herb of victory and quebra-pedra is linked to Xangô in terreiros of Umbanda.
- 4
Light it calmly and pray
Light it with a match, without haste and without anger in your chest, like someone entering a courtroom. Say Kaô Kabecilê and say the prayer while looking at the flame.
- 5
Return to it every day
With the 7-day candle, pass in front of the candle once a day and repeat the request in a few words. Do not touch the paper or the stone while it burns, so as not to undo the consecration.
- 6
Finish without blowing
Let the flame finish on its own. Burn the paper with the last flame or tear it and throw it away. The stone can be washed and returned to nature, and the wax goes to the trash wrapped.
Precautions before lighting
- The 7-day candle stays lit for days: leave it inside a deep plate, away from curtains, wooden shelves, and out of reach of children and pets.
- Justice of Xangô is not revenge. Do not light it to harm the other party, change the sentence by force, or bind anyone's decision.
- The candle accompanies the cause, but it does not replace a lawyer, public defender, or a legal deadline. Do your part in the world while it burns.
- Assentamento, obrigação, and work for Xangô or Ogum with proper foundation are matters for the zelador of your terreiro. The home candle is devotion.
Ceromancy
What the flame of the Red and White Candle shows
Traditional terreiro reading. Before interpreting, check if there is no wind, crooked wick, or poor quality candle.
- Good sign
Straight, high flame without flickering
Many houses read this as a well-placed cause and an accepted request. It is the flame that is expected when the intention is clean and the place is protected from the wind.
- Attention
Wax dripping only on the red side
Some read it as a sign that the struggle will still require effort before clearing up. It is not defeat: it is a warning of patience and to stay calm until the end.
- Observe
Crackling and small sparks
It is almost always moisture or dirt on the wick. Some see movement in the cause there, but check the physical aspect before giving a reading to the crackle.
- Attention
Low flame that almost disappears
It may indicate that the matter is stuck or that the person themselves is discouraged. Pray again, review the request and, if it persists, speak with the leader of your house.
- Observe
Darkened glass of the jar
Soot on the glass appears often in a 7-day candle and depends on the wick and the air. It is only valid for reading if it comes with other signs; before that, it is physical.
Ritual bath and smoke cleansing (defumação)
Herbs that combine with the Red and White Candle
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bay leaf
Laurus nobilis
Leaf of victory linked to Xangô and Ogum. Some dry leaves around the plate accompany the request for justice during the entire burning.
See the herb -
Saint George's Sword / Ogum's Sword
Sansevieria trifasciata
Plant of Ogum. A pot near the door, or a leaf cut next to the candle, guards the house while the cause is in progress.
See the herb -
Stonebreaker
Phyllanthus niruri
Linked to Xangô and Ogum in Umbanda houses. Used in a cleansing bath (banho de descarrego) for those who feel that the matter has become a weight on their backs.
See the herb
Virtual Candle
Light the Red and White Candle now
Choose the type, write your request, and pay by PIX. The flame stays on the altar and you follow along through the link.
Place on the altarFrequently asked questions
Questions about the Red and White Candle
Which orixá (orisha) is the red and white candle for?
Mainly Xangô, who wears red and white in Candomblé Ketu and in Batuque. In Umbanda, there are houses that use this bicolor for Ogum, because of Saint George, and they consecrate Xangô with brown. If you attend a terreiro, follow the color that it uses.
What is the best day to light the red and white candle?
Wednesday, the day of Xangô. If your house dedicates the color to Ogum, the day becomes Tuesday. For a cause with a set date, many people light it on the eve of the hearing or the meeting, regardless of the day of the week.
Can I blow out the 7-day candle and light it again?
The ideal is not to blow it out. If necessary, smother it with a saucer or a lid, never by blowing, and relight it as soon as you can repeating the request. Blowing out and lighting several times weakens the strength of a candle that was made to burn without stopping.
What is the difference between the red and white candle and the pure red one?
The pure red is for courage and action, very linked to Iansã (Oya). The red and white adds the white of righteousness and is more focused on justice, truth, and decisions. One pushes for the fight; the other asks that the fight be judged with balance.
What to do with the paper, the stone, and the leftover wax?
The paper can be burned with the last flame, carefully, or torn and thrown away. The stone is washed in running water and returned to a garden or river. The leftover wax goes into the common trash wrapped in paper, and the plate is washed before returning to use.
Can I light a Xangô candle at home without being from a terreiro?
You can. Lighting a candle with respect and asking for justice is a devotion open to anyone. What remains restricted to the terreiro is the fundamento: assentamento, obrigação, and offering with axé. For a prayer at home, a clean intention and a safe place are enough.
Does the red and white candle help win a lawsuit?
It does not decide a sentence. The request made to Xangô is that the truth appears and that the judgment is fair, which may or may not coincide with what you want. Therefore, the candle goes along with a good lawyer and with your part well done.
