Before 6am, Praia do Rio Vermelho, in Salvador, was already packed: a sea of people and flowers, all gathered to pay homage to Iemanjá. The Queen of the Sea is celebrated every year on February 2nd in various places in Brazil. Since 2020, the party has been recognized as a cultural heritage of the capital of Bahia. 
Orixá in African religions, Iemanjá is the patron saint of fishermen and sailors. Lawyer Patrícia Barros comes every year from São Luís, in Maranhão, to Salvador, to celebrate the date.
“Because she is life in my life, she is the mother of all orixás, the mother of all heads. I am a fan of Candomblé and devoted to her”, she says.
Tradition and faith
The Iemanjá festival in Salvador has been taking place for 104 years and attracts people and requests from all over the world.
From Italy, priestess Mariana dos Santos brings offerings and requests in her name and on behalf of friends on the other side of the world.
“I came to thank you and ask for myself, my friends and family. Some dear clients, who I hold dear to my heart, all know that I’m from Bahia from Axé. Everyone asked me to take a little flower for her”, explains Mariana.
The date is also very special for fishermen, who are grateful for the protection and ask for plenty. “Here there are many fishermen who are devotees of Iemanjá, who have a lot of faith in Iemanjá. I really admire their devotion and that of other faithful who come here to celebrate”, says fisherman Nilinho Garrido.
The governor of Bahia, Jerônimo Rodrigues, participated in the party and highlighted the tradition of the date. “This is a very strong cultural agenda. These are fishermen coming to the sea, to the waters through Iemanjá, with a request for their fisheries, their products, to increase”, he stated.
Check out images of the party in Bahia and other parts of the country on Repórter Brasil Tarde, from TV Brasil
