February 2: Day to celebrate the Virgin of La Candelaria and Oyá

To two powerful deities, one Yoruba and the other Catholic, but both syncretized in the same cult, we pay tribute and celebrate this February 2.

To the protectors, the warriors, those who illuminate our path, we pray this day for light, happiness, health, love and prosperity.

We celebrate this day the Orisha Oyá and to Our Lady of Candelaria, and we direct our prayers and expressions of faith, so that they help us to overcome the obstacles of life.

If you are confused by the dates of celebration you should know that Oyá It is celebrated twice a year. Why?

to the Orisha Oyá In the Afro-Cuban religion, it is celebrated twice depending on the religious cult that venerates it, since it is syncretized with the Virgin of Candelaria on February 2 and with Saint Teresa of Jesus on October 15.

let's celebrate Oyá, Lady of the Spark and powerful Warrior

In syncretism with Our Lady of Candelaria, we celebrate this February 2nd the Orisha Oyá, the Lady of the spark, the whirlpool, the rainbow and the dead.

Its winds give the necessary oxygen to live, help to sustain existence after the waters of the deities of the river and the sea, Oshún and Yemayá have brought life.

Oyá Yanza is the air we breathe, the colors of the rainbow and at the same time the darkness of the night, she is the wind that runs and the guardian of the spark.

She is the strong warrior goddess who favors storms, strong winds or hurricanes, but also the calm that always comes after a gale. It symbolizes the violence of nature and impetuosity.

She lives at the gates of cemeteries and represents the intensity of gloomy feelings, the world of the dead. She is a warrior and wins every battle she fights. She is the one who seeks out and transports the souls of the spirits from the cemetery.

Let's celebrate La Candelaria, the Virgin who lights the way

We also celebrate on February 2 Our Lady of Candelaria, a Marian invocation that is evoked in many parts of the world, asking for light and blessings.

The Virgen de la Candelaria appeared in Tenerife in the XNUMXth century and her day is celebrated in different ways throughout the world, with parades, masses and the light of many candles to honor the Virgin.

La Candelaria is also one of the most adored deities in Cuba. She is the patron saint of the Cuban province Camagüey and of many towns distributed throughout the island and is considered one of the most powerful protectors of Cubans.

show of faith for Oyá and La Candelaria in his day

Every February 2, Candlemas Day, many actions are carried out on the island to pray to the Virgin and the Orisha and thank them both for their blessings and their immense protection.

The blessing of candles, the masses and the processional procession in which both Yoruba and Catholic devotees participate are usually carried out in many places, a symbol of the eternal syncretism present in Cuba.

Honor the Holy Orisha at Home:

Many believers also worship both deities and celebrate them with faith and much love in their homes, in front of simple altars with the image of the Virgin and full of the wine color that characterizes them both.

A Oyá, the warrior orisha of the Yoruba pantheon can be offered fruits of ocher colors, fundamentally the eggplant that is her favorite, Indian banana, grapes and roasted corn and flowers such as orchids to decorate the place, without missing a candle to offer light to the holy orisha.