Learn what Ajayô means – The greeting of fun – Blog

Ajayo! This battle cry, popularized throughout Brazil in the voice of singer Carlinhos Brown, is much older than the program he commands on TV Globo. Is it a greeting to an orixá? Or a Yoruba word? It is well known in the Brazilian carnival and, therefore, everyone must have heard or spoken while celebrating this date. Are you curious to know what it is? So find out now what does ajayo mean.

I understand what Ajayo means

The greeting that is popular among Brazilians is just that: a greeting. Long before being shouted by Carlinhos Brown on the stage of The Voice, it was already shouted by hundreds of thousands of people in the Bahian carnival. So much so that the term became popular thanks to the Afro group Filhos de Gandhy.

Filhos de Gandhy was created in 1949 as a common carnival group. He became an afoxé in 1951, when he began to sing African songs and adopted Candomblé as the official religion. And during the passage of the block through the streets of Salvador, the singers of the trio shout, three times, the word ajayô.

The public playing in the streets then shouts back the interjection “ê”, between one “ajayô” and another. And that’s when you ask yourself “what does ajayô shouted by Brown and the Sons of Gandhy mean?”. And that’s what we’re going to answer you now!

What does Ajayô mean – Is it a Yoruba word?

Ajayô is a Yoruba-sounding word, so many people think it is a greeting to the orixás. However, there is no such term in the Yoruba language. Thus, it is most likely that “ajayô” is a Bahian invention, created by the afoxé Filhos de Gandhy as an interjection.

This “Yorubaian” neologism means axé, welcome, hello, a wish for peace or any other positive greeting, depending on the context. In Salvador’s carnival, it is commonly used as a wish for people to have fun without violence. Are you beginning to understand what ajayô means? So see more!

What does Ajayo mean – Origin

Despite not being a Yoruba word, the neologism ajayô is inspired by this African language. After all, it is a term created to be shouted effusively in a group of African traditions that follows the precepts of Candomblé.

So, it can be considered a corruption, that is, a new pronunciation or writing originated from a language with greater social prestige. To know what ajayô means, it is necessary to understand that this new word was created in the 1950s and originated in the term “ajoyê”.

Ajoyê is a word widely used in Candomblé and means “caretaker of the orixás”. This also explains why ajayô is considered by many practitioners of African religions as a greeting to these entities.

The ajoyês, also called ekedis, are human women who do not go into trance and are chosen by the orixás of the terreiros of Candomblé. Her main role is to serve as the “maid of honor” to the orixás, a position of great responsibility.

Among its functions are to take care of the clothes of the orixás, watch over them, dance with these entities and make sure that the visitors to the terreiro are comfortable. The ajoyê also needs to “unturn” the orixá incorporated by the children of the terreiro and check if the devotee is in good physical and mental condition.

Taking advantage of the fact that you now know what ajayô means, also know the texts below: