día de la Candelaria

Prayer

To the Virgin of La Candelaria

Virgin of La Candelaria Sea Star and Guide of the Soul:

Here I am like a daughter in front of her Mother.

With you and like you, I want to spend my life

Doing good deeds.

Always by your side and faithful to you.

And if one day I should forget you,

please do not forget me.

Amen

Hoy celebro La Virgen de la Candelaria, quien sincretiza a OYA, deidad femenina de la religión Yoruba. Ella es una Orisha mayor, Orisha guerrera y dueña de las centellas, propiciadora de los vientos fuertes y portera del cementerio. Es la diosa más guerrera de las orishas mujeres y está muy relacionada con la muerte (Ikú). A veces puede ser violenta e impetuosa; en situaciones difíciles se presenta como hombre y pelea tan bravamente como ellos. Le pertenecen los remolinos y los huracanes. Se afirma que fue mujer de Changó, dios del trueno y que lo acompañaba en sus campañas. Por eso no hay Changó sin Oyá ni Oyá sin Changó, el trueno y el rayo son fuerzas inseparables en la naturaleza. Para guerrear, se acompaña de un ejército de espíritus ancestros (egguns) y pelea con centellas y dos espadas. Diosa de la transformación y el cambio, energía masculina de lo femenino.

Today I celebrate the Virgin of la Candelaria, who syncretizes to OYA, female deity of the Yoruba religion. She is a mayor Orisha, warrior Orisha and owner of lightning and high winds, facilitator  of death and caretaker of the cemetery. It is the warrior goddess of the femenine orishas and is strongly associated with death (Iku). She can sometimes be violent and fierce, in difficult situations  she presents herself as a man and fights as fiercely as they do. Whirlwinds and hurricanes belong to her. She was allegedly the wife of Chango, god of thunder and accompanied him on his campaigns. Hence there is no Oya without Chango, nor Oya without Chango; thunder and lightning are inseparable forces in nature. To fight war she is accompanied by an army of ancestors spirits (Egguns) and fights with two swords and lightning. She is the Goddess of transformation and change, male energy of the feminine.