Oxalá – Characteristics of the Orisha linked to the end of beings

I hope it is the Orisha present in the moments when calm and peace were established. It is he who rules the peace in the environment, silence and tranquility. In this way, he provides harmony between men, leading to understanding and peace. This virtue does not only occur among men, but also with the forces of nature.

While Exú represents the beginning of everything, Oxalá is the one who represents the end. It is the Orisha linked to the principle of death and the balance of the Universe. He is also the “Father of the Orixás”, since he is the one who defines the end of all beings.

Understand more about Oxalá – The Orisha of balance

In Umbanda cults, the color of Oxalá is white and represents mourning, as the end of a man’s road is determined by him. The Orisha recognizes the end of life as a time to leave in peace, a time when all duties have been fulfilled.

Although Western Christian culture understands death as a negative situation, the Afro-Brazilian religion understands death as another natural issue in the trajectory of beings. Death is the consequence of life itself, as there is always a beginning, a middle and an end.

In addition, it is believed that there are two versions of Oxalá. In other words, the Orixá presents itself in different ways. When younger, it is called Oxaguiã and identified by the game of whelks by the “odu ejionile”. When old, he receives the name of Oxalufan.

Discover the history of Oxalá

According to the mythology of the Orixás, Oxalá was the husband of Nanã, the Orixá responsible for the Portal of life and death. This portal that only female beings had access to. Those male were prohibited from accessing. For a long time things went that way.

However, Oxalá did not accept to stay away from the Portal, after all, he was Nanã’s husband. From so much thinking, he found a way to access the place without her finding out. So he dressed up as a woman and approached the Portal.

However, when he was on the other side of the dimension, Nanã took him and said “Since he dressed as a woman to reveal an important secret, I will share it with you. It will be the beginning of the end, the one who will touch the staff three times to the ground to determine the end of a being. Furthermore, you will never be able to get rid of the female garments and, from now on, you will have all the female offerings”.

In that way he became the end. But not a tragic end. It is the Orisha of the peaceful end, of the end of everything that exists in the world.

Who are the children of Oxalá

Just as the Orisha is divided into two personalities, their children also have different characteristics:

• Children of Oxalufan – Like his father, he also looks like older people. Sages, rancor is not part of their lives. They are aware that bad feelings only harm themselves. They are calm, kind and calm people. But don’t be fooled by trying to take advantage of this, a son of Oxalufan will not be passed on. Quite balanced and assertive, their main defect is stubbornness.
• Children of Oxaguian – They are people with very contradictory characteristics. While they can be communicative and quarrelsome, they can also be quite calm and connected to the family. This duality can be seen in the representation of his father Orixá, who carries a sword in one hand and a pestle in the other. Another strength is leadership. The children of Oxaguian are warriors, intuitive and defend the wronged.

The syncretism of Oxalá with Jesus Christ

In syncretism, the correspondent to the Orisha is Jesus Christ, since Oxalá is also the son of the greater God. Jesus is recognized for loving everyone as if they were his own children, always with patience and caution, always guiding them to be guided to the best path. In other words, he is a figure that proves to be essential for the history of Christianity. Likewise, Oxalá represents an important stage of life in both Umbanda and Candomblé.

Important information about Oxala

White is the color of this Orisha, representing balance, peace of mind, love, kindness and purity. The color of Oxaguian is white mixed with turquoise and Oxalufã is just white, but in a milky tone. The greeting for Oxalá is “Épa Bàbá!” and the day of the week dedicated to him is Friday.

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