Every year in Brazil, in the middle of the night on the 2nd of February, whole families leave their houses adorned in white and blue to pay homage to Yemanjá, Goddess of the Sea. Perfumes, mirrors, combs and flowers are cast into the sea so that this beautiful, vain, and powerful woman will smile upon the faithful. On their way to the sea they greet each other with embraces, wishes of good luck, or simply a glance.
Months later in August, on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, life follows much the same path. Along the banks of the Osun River, in Nigeria, the sons and daughters Osun, the goddess of fertility, lift up their voices full of spirit to reach up to the mother of freshwater. From this point forth, infertile women will bear the children of old men and the houses shall be filled with life, unfolding lives, bringing happiness and rising to the mission of maintaining the flow of the river’s waters.
