Okê Arô! Learn more about greetings to the hunter orixá Oxóssi!

Oxossi is the king of the woods and that is why he is so connected to nature. In addition, he is known as the orixá of hunting, symbolizing knowledge, abundance and representing the forests. So much so that his image is represented by the figure of a man who holds in his hands a bow and arrow, made of steel. Typical image of hunter and guardian.

From that, Oxossi has as a greeting: Okê Arô, which means “Save the Great Hunter”. In this way, Oxossi carries in its essence a sense of hunting, healing, kindness and protection. In addition to carrying what is nature’s imprint like: the fauna and flora, the stars, the moon, the sun. Consequently, his children carry that same essence.

Oxossi is an orixá, the hunter god of the forest and all the beings that inhabit it. He is characterized by being also the god of plenty, food. In addition, Oxossi is seen as a civilizer and, due to his status as a hunter, he becomes the orisha that best represents what is most ancient in human existence: the struggle for survival.

He represents cunning, intelligence, caution, determination. These are attributes of his story precisely because he carries only one arrow with him, so he needs to be accurate in his target. And Oxossi never misses the arrow.

Oxossi has African origin. He was considered the guardian of hunters, as they were the ones who hunted and brought food to his people. He is an orixá that is in the Afro-Brazilian religions umbanda and candomblé.

In candomblé, Oxóssi has a fast dancing rhythm as if he were hunting and his image is represented by the male figure, where he holds a bow and arrow in his hand. Oxossi has nature in its essence, praises fauna and flora. In Brazil, he is seen as one of the main orixás.

Oxossi in Brazil has the forest as its habitat. Also has as main instruments, the bow and arrow. The orixá is seen as a very accurate and determined orixá in Brazil, because with an arrow he can hit the target, which makes him skillful.

Oxóssi is very popular in the country, in umbanda he is seen as the patron saint of the caboclos line. And by candomblé he is seen as the King of the Queto Nation.

Oxossi’s domains are strongly influenced by his essence. Therefore, he has as main domain the forest. Precisely because he is considered the god of nature and animals. Other domains of Oxossi are agriculture, plenty, food.

Hunting, for example, is the most primitive form of searching for food, so this represents survival because in the past people needed to hunt to feed themselves. In addition, Oxossi’s courage, determination, intelligence and wisdom make him a unique orisha and a special guardian. The orixá has earth as its element.

Oxossi has as his element the earth, the woods, the cultivable fields. This means that he carries with him focus, assertiveness, knowledge, firmness, patience, courage, agility. The earth element brings all these characteristics.

Oxossi teaches that it takes courage to face obstacles and challenges. That it takes focus to achieve goals. Agility to act quickly, assertiveness to make the right choice. Anyway, Oxossi has many virtues and this is shown through the earth element.

Oxossi is an orixá who is entering the universe of forests, of woods. He is a deity of hunting and wild animals. He has contact with many species of animals and, mainly, birds.

From there, he protects hunters, animals and hikers, so his animal is the parrot. The reason why the bird has the protection of Oxossi is because the parrot has a quick understanding.

As seen in the previous topics, Oxossi has the forest as its main habitat. So, the color that symbolizes this orixá is the color green, this in the Umbanda bias.

Already from the look of candomblé, the color that symbolizes Oxossi is the light blue color, which attracts friendship. Both green and light blue are representations of nature such as: rivers, woods, forests.

The day of the week that Oxossi is consecrated is Thursday, by umbanda. On this day you can light white, light green or light blue candles, colors that are his.

It is worth mentioning that on this day it becomes interesting to say a prayer for Oxossi. Throughout the article it is possible to know two prayers.

Oxossi’s lucky number is number 6. This number represents determination, harmony, calm, balance, responsibility, family, positivity.

Therefore, Oxossi has all these elements and thus manages to fight for what he wants with determination and patience. The bright side appears because he always sees the bright side of situations.

Religious syncretism occurs when two or more religious practices merge into one. However, they do not lose their essence. In Brazil it is possible to observe several religious matrices.

In Brazil, religious syncretism is seen especially among Catholicism and Afro-Brazilian religions. An example of this is Oxossi, who is an orixá, and São Sebastião, who is a Christian saint. See more details below.

Religious syncretism means uniting elements of two different religions, but which have similarities. That is, when one or more religious beliefs are mixed, without leaving their original doctrine and basic characteristics.

In Brazil, it is possible to see some religious syncretisms, but the most common is the syncretism that was made between Afro-Brazilian religions, such as Candomblé and Catholicism. In addition, in Afro-Brazilian religions there are several orixás, among them Oxóssi who has syncretism with São Sebastião.

Saint Sebastian is a martyr and Christian saint. He would have died for the Christian cause. Saint Sebastian protected Christians who were in prison, giving food, water and sometimes releasing Christians who were in prison.

Soon Emperor Diocletian was furious and had him tied to a tree and shot with an arrow. Therefore, the image of São Sebastião is of a young man with short hair with arrows in his body.

São Sebastião is the patron saint of the city of Rio de Janeiro, being the patron saint of athletes, those who practice sports, archers, artisans.

Thus, as São Sebastião is seen as a saint who protects people against hunger, Oxossi, hunter of the woods, is always in search of food to supply his people. There are similarities between both.

In religious syncretism, São Sebastião is Oxossi, because like São Sebastião, the orixá is the protector of humanity against hunger. Oxossi is the orisha that sustains the body through food. So these similarities show that religious beliefs are different, but the essence is the same.

For both act according to the needs of their people and those who are close and need food or help. In Umbanda, Oxossi’s day is the same as São Sebastião’s day precisely because of this religious syncretism that occurs between them.

In religious syncretism, on January 20th, the day of Oxossi – São Sebastião is celebrated. First orixá that has a great symbolism and is the first to be celebrated in umbanda.

Thus, it is São Sebastião who takes care of each one’s objectives. Therefore, January is the month in which you should be more attentive to what you want, that is, pay more attention to the goals you want to pursue and outline throughout the year.

These goals are asked of Oxossi. Therefore, in umbanda terreiros and calendars, Oxossi day is celebrated in January.

Oxossi is characterized by the need to be close to nature, fauna and flora. As it is an orixá of contemplation, appreciation for what is beautiful and for the arts is also present.

Additionally, he is seen as a guardian, warrior, and sage. And the children of Oxossi have characteristics similar to those of their father, even though each child is unique. See more below.

As seen above, Oxossi has particular characteristics and so do his children. It is worth noting that each child is unique, but what makes them children of Oxossi is precisely the fact that they have characteristics in common.

Endowed with a strong essence like that of the father, the children of Oxossi are characterized by being introverted, kind, discreet, airy, distracted, patient. They love to contemplate nature, silence, inner peace and peace around them. They don’t like arguments and are always ready to help others. Just like Oxossi.

Oxossi’s daughters have characteristics similar to their father’s, such as calmness, the sensitivity to contemplate what is beautiful, the gift for the arts, they are discreet, introverted, kind and very determined. Just like their father, they love nature: the sun, the animals, the stars, the waterfalls, the green of the woods, because that is what brings them tranquility and calm.

Another feature that can be seen in the daughters of Oxossi is distraction, they are distracted and have the ability to express themselves – they know how to express themselves. In addition, they are very empathetic, putting themselves in the other’s shoes.

The children of Oxossi are sensitive and kind and when it comes to love they have a very beautiful and intense capacity to love. They are totally careful, responsible and serene in love. They don’t show their feelings much, but that’s because they are introverted and shy.

The fact that they are more like them doesn’t mean they don’t feel it, because they are endowed with intense feelings and emotions. Because they feel too much, they become romantic and sensitive, they love being in the company of the loved one and feeling loved. But legend says (itan) that the children of Oxossi in love are fickle.

Itans means “tales”, “stories”, “legends”. Oxossi on his journey went through many situations and therefore has many Itans. Some carry sadness, joy and anguish. The Itans of Oxossi are filled with action and sensitivity precisely because they involve his family and the people he protects and loves.

Next, we will see some legends of this orixá who is known as the Lord of the Forests. Besides why he was punished, his story with the bird and the tale of…