Maferefun Yemaya!

Sunday, we celebrated the feast day of Yemaya, mother of all the other Orishas. While I began posting yesterday about the three parts I was going to give to you inorder for you to see how a feast day commences, the day got away from me and it was after 8 pm before I had a moment to check e-mails and for some, return calls!

When I last posted, I was going in search of plantains, those larger green bananas that are such a favorite with different Caribbean dishes. My daughter and I visited the Red Star Import Company here in Sacramento, a mom-and-pop type store with foods from all of the Carribean countries such as Cuba, Jamaica, and as far away as Brazil and Fiji.

Shopping in THE Thalia Took Yemaya shirt at www.cafepress.com, found a bottle of “mojo” by Goya and plantains, yucca, and taro root.

Too much good stuff and look at this bottle of Spiritual Healing Roots – hoodoo for sale!

We are back home and it is down to work, chopping, peeling, slicing and frying, frying and more frying!

Next, we will show you the finished, yet small altar with all the foods displayed and more…

Maferefun Yemaya!

Today, we celebrate the feast day of Yemaya, mother of all the other Orishas. We will set up an altar to her, cook specialty foods for her and light candles for blessings received and to petition her for.

Yemaya is:

First Mother of the World

Matron with large breasts

Sustainer of Life (saline in blood, amniotic fluid)

The Siren

Forever call her children home (to the ocean)

Indigo dyer

Queen of all Waters, both sweet and sour

Mother of the children of fishes

Deliverer of her people

The stern, exacting Mother

The one who will define morality and its’ boundaries

The mother of witches

Her colors are crystal clear and all shades of blue (note I am using different blues in this post)

Here is one of the recipes I will be making to set before her altar today.

Eran elede` t’ agbagba`din (fried pork with plantains)

Ingredients

2 pounds fresh, boneless pork tenderloin

2 large green plantains

4 tablespoons palm oil or peanut oil

Wash pork and cut into 1 inch cubes. Peel plantains and cut into thin slices. Pour oil into hot skillet on medium flame, fry pork cubes until brown. Remove pork from skillet and fry plantain chips until brown.

Serve hot together on same plate.

If you would like to purchase a candle to go on the altar today, please go to:

http://www.tarotbyjacqueline.com/SPECIAL.html and order one today.

I will label and light your candle as soon as I receive your order and send you an e-mail confirming it was done. You can then look at the various photos I will post here to show the altar as it evolves.

Keep checking in as this is a three part series today to show you how to make an altar and what to serve on it and how to conduct a feast day celebration for your particular Saint.

Offering to Ochun, Sacramento River, January 2008

Many of you know that the Yoruba Goddess Yemaya (also spelled Yemoja or Iemanja) is my favorite goddess since she is the one that governs motherhood, women’s issues, children issues and the family. Her feast day is coming up in about a week and I wanted to share with you that with many requests, I am setting up an altar to Yemayathis weekend.

It is Saturday and I am cleaning like a mad woman to make ready for altar building later today.

If you would like to purchase a candle for Yemaya, please go to my other website to order: