Iyabá, meaning “Queen Mother” in Yoruba, is a term given to all feminine orixás in Candomblé, such as Iansã (Oyá), Oxúm, and Yemanjá. During the first and second week of December these deities, along with their Catholic counterparts are celebrated. Every December 4, thousands of Bahians attend mass and make carurus (a typical Bahian dish, […]
Luislinda Valois
In 1984, Bahian-born Luislinda Valois was the first black woman to become a judge in Brazil, just one of many achievements. She earned her law degree at the age of 39 and lived in the city of Curitiba, in the south of Brazil, working as a municipal attorney, deputy chief and chief of the National […]
Tia Ciata
Tia Ciata (Hilaria Batista de Almeida, 1854-1924) (Edited from her biography by Alvaro Neder) Tia Ciata, aka Tia Assiata, was a woman from Bahia who had a fundamental role in the birth of Cariocan urban samba as a genre. She migrated to Rio from Bahia in 1875 and developed an informal cultural center at her […]
Festa da Boa Morte
Festa de Nossa Senhora da Boa Morte (Assumption Day or the Festival of Our Lady of the Good Death) falls on the Friday closest to August 15 and lasts three days. It is a celebration of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary (mother of Jesus) that starts off with a solemn mass and then a procession […]