How to prepare an altar to Yemayá and the Virgin of Regla in their day?

The beginning of September turns blue, full of peace and blessings for the Cuban religious. It all starts on the 6th with the eve of the festivities of the Orisha Yemaya and of the Virgin of Regla, in the eternal syncretism that the Creole mix that shaped the Cuban identity has bequeathed us.

That day, many attend the temple in which the patron virgin of Regla is venerated and there, the border between Catholicism and the Yoruba religion is blurred and the prayers in Yoruba cross the waters until they find the deity.

Also to celebrate that day there are many ways to seek the blessings of Yemayá, Orisha queen of the waters and protector of pregnant women, the most common is to make an offering of white roses or addimú and deposit them in the bay.

But we can still make an altar to pay homage to the powerful Orisha and the Saint who cleanse the evils of the world with their waters.

An altar for the Queens of the seas

We must always prepare an altar with great faith, it can resemble the sea, as the natural element that defines the powers of the Yoruba goddess and the Catholic saint and therefore we can decorate the space with blue elements, seashells, starfish or whatever. that you want to offer.

We can put some white or blue candles to give light to the holy orisha and in general we will put those elements that we want to give and offer to the deities of heart and with devotion.

To take into account when setting up the altar:

1. First choose a quiet, organized and beautiful place where you want to place the altar, remember that it cannot be in a bathroom or bedroom, we owe respect to the deities.
2. The table or furniture where you place the altar should be clean. Choose a nice and clean blue or white cloth, it should not be stained or torn, remember that sites dedicated to deities are sacred.
3. In this space you can place the images and representations of the goddesses and offer flowers, from the simplest in a garden to the most beautiful flower arrangement that you want to dedicate, both will be received and thanked by our mothers.

Remember that it does not matter if the altar is simple or loaded with offerings, the important thing is that you offer it from the heart and with a lot of faith. Don't forget to light a candle on the eve of your day, offer gratitude for the blessings you have and the ones to come.    

Beautiful flowers for the altar

The mothers of waters are grateful for everything related to the sea, but they also adore that they put white or blue flowers in a beautiful container or vase as an offering.

All the flowers are symbols of love, purity and goodness that represent the holy orisha.

You can put the flowers you want, or some like:

• Larkspur
• Love in the mist
• Lily of the nile
• Hydrangea
• Jazmín
• Peony
• White roses
• Red roses

Offerings for the altar of Yemayá

Many are those who decide to create an altar for Yemayá both in the house and on the seashore, always with blue details, with motifs of salt water and ocean.

Also when making the altar we can take into account the different paths of the goddess and the particular characteristic of each of them when decorating.

The goddess appreciates the offerings of her favorite fruits at the foot of the altar.

Among them we can place:

• Pineapple
• papayas
• Grapes
• Pears
• Apples
• Bananas
• oranges
• Melon or watermelon

Attributes for the Altar dedicated to the goddess Yemayá

At the altar for Yemayá Its attributes can also be placed, among them, a sun, a full moon, an anchor, a life preserver, a boat, seven oars, seven bracelets, a key, a star and seven silver bracelets.

If you have received Yemayá, on the altar you can also place your necklaces that are characterized by their seven transparent glass beads of water color and blue, pale blue water, dark blue and opalescent pearls or soap beads.

In general, on the altar you can place the elements you want to offer to Yemayá and the Virgin, there is no single procedure to set up an altar, be guided by your intuition and heart, and our queens will appreciate it.

To invoke them you can say this prayer:

We share some powerful offerings for Yemayá:

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