Who is Santa Luzia in Candomblé? Discover syncretism with the Orisha Ewá!

According to tradition, Santa Luzia in Candomblé represents a syncretism with Ewá, an Orixá who, in addition to being a seer, governs fog and mist. According to Catholic belief, Santa Luzia was a young woman who lived in Sicily, in the third century of the modern era, and who was killed in a persecution of Christians.

However, for Candomblecists, Ewá is considered the sister of Oxumarê, and her name comes from the Nigerian River, which crosses the State of Ogum. Because she has never given herself to any man, she is considered the protector of all that is virgin. In this article you will understand the whole relationship between these two figures so important in Afro-Brazilian religiosity.

Primarily, the syncretism of Santa Luzia in Candomblé occurs with the Orixá Ewá due to the fact that the Catholic Saint is the patroness of the visually impaired, while the gift of the Orixá is clairvoyance. As well as both remained single during their lives. Keep reading and find out more about this syncretism.

In the first place, it is necessary to understand that during the period of Brazilian slavery, enslaved people brought from Africa were prohibited from worshiping their religions. Thus, blacks used altars with Catholic saints to camouflage their African deities.

In summary, Africans chose a Catholic saint for each Orixá, according to the behavioral similarities between them. That is, this is a “union” between two elements of two religions, such as, for example, the Catholic Santa Luzia with Ewá, from Candomblé.

However, even with all the care and disguises that the enslaved kept in order to worship their traditions, they were persecuted and accused of witchcraft and paganism.

In short, religious syncretism is about the fusion of two or more doctrines. Thus, the easiest way for some syncretism to occur is through religious cultural pluralism. It is common knowledge that between the 16th and 19th centuries both communication and means of transport were much slower than today.

In addition to being precarious, it is important to point out that only a very small portion of the powerful rich had access to these means. As slavery became more and more common, more slave ships arrived in America, and this was the greatest exodus of mankind. Soon, the mixture of religious cultures, and the ban on African cults formed the greatest religious syncretisms.

Syncretisms have occurred numerous times throughout history, in wars, invasions and colonizations. At a certain point, syncretism can occur naturally and not just forced, when, for example, some religious doctrine becomes prohibited.

Certainly, a good example of syncretism occurred in Europe, with the absorption of pagan cults and customs by the Catholic religion, in the Middle Ages. A good example is the term pontiff, which was used by the Roman Emperor, and came to be used to name the head of the Catholic religion.

In Brazil, however, religious syncretism occurred mainly between African and Catholic religions. In addition to the Example of Santa Luzia in Candomblé, we have other examples using these same doctrines, such as:

– Exú – Saint Anthony;
– Oxalá – Senhor do Bonfim;
– Ogun – Saint George;
– Oxossi – São Sebastião;
– Xangô – São Pedro;
– Omulú – Saint Lazarus.

Now that you know what syncretism is, and Santa Luzia’s relationship with Candomblé, the time has come to learn a little more about the subject. Thus, in the following text we will tell the story of Santa Luzia, the patron saint of Mossoró.

Santa Luzia, also known as Lucia, was born in the 3rd century to a wealthy family in the city of Siracusa, in southern Italy. Consequently, as was customary in wealthy families in the region at the time, Luzia would have received, in addition to an excellent formal education, an excellent religious education.

Still during his childhood, his father’s earthly death occurred, and his mother began to suffer from serious internal bleeding. Therefore, Luzia’s devotion to the Christian faith becomes stronger and stronger. And because of this faith, Luzia has a religious trance, in which she talks and makes a promise for her mother’s healing.

As a result of this promise, upon returning from his trance, he tells his mother about his meeting with Santa Águeda and his promise. In response, he heard from his mother that she was cured and feeling very well. As he also heard from his mother that she would not object to his promise.

As a result, her family’s fortune was donated to the poor, and because of this and her Christian responses, when asked about the reason for such an act, she was denounced to the Governor as a Heretic. From that moment on, Luzia’s martyrdom began due to the trial of her Christian faith, which led to her beheading in 304.

When analyzing the image of Santa Luzia, we noticed the presence of some significant objects, in addition to other symbols in her clothing. First of all, let’s talk about her clothing – the red part of her robe represents her martyrdom, while the green part represents her afterlife.

Following the description of her clothing, we can also mention her white veil, which symbolizes her purity. Following the visual analysis of the image of Santa Luzia, we identified the most representative of the objects which is the flag with its eyes.

According to the Catholic faith, as punishment for not converting to the Roman gods, the Emperor ordered Luzia’s eyes to be plucked out and handed to him on a platter. The order was fulfilled, but, unexpectedly, Luzia’s eyes were born even more beautiful than the first.

First of all, Santa Luzia is an example of kindness and generosity for Catholics. Among his works, helping the most needy stands out, having been able to sell everything he had to donate to the poorest.

Furthermore, the Saint represents true love in Jesus. Despite being arrested, tortured and having her eyes gouged out, she remained firm in her faith, and did not deny it, even with the death penalty. Before being beheaded, Luzia said: “I worship one true God, to whom I promised love and faithfulness.”

Equally devoted, both the Catholic and Santa Luzia do Candomblé symbolize much for their respective beliefs through their syncretism. For now, let’s deal with the Catholic devotion to Luzia.

Exalted in Italy, devotion to the Saint began in the 5th century, when miracles, such as healing eye diseases, were attributed to Luzia. Over the centuries, the tradition in Santa Luzia had ups and downs between the rites of the Catholic Church.

In the early 11th century, the Saint’s relics were sent to Constantinople by a Byzantine General, who was worried about an Arab invasion. Until, in 1204, a Venetian patron, devoted to Luzia, paid for the soldiers of the Crusades to bring her back.

Finally, in 1894, Luzia’s martyrdom was historically confirmed, when an inscription in Greek was discovered on her tomb. In addition to her name, the inscription had, among other details, the confirmation of her death in the 4th century. The commemoration of Santa Luzia in the Catholic Church takes place on December 13, the date that represents the day of her death.

The Orixá Ewá (Yewá) is represented through religious syncretism by Santa Luzia in Candomblé, and in religion, she is considered the Goddess of intuition and clairvoyance. From now on, you will know a little more about this symbol of beauty and sexuality that is Ewá.

The Orixá Ewá, according to the Afro-Brazilian religion, is the daughter of Nanã Buruquê and Oxalufã, thus being the sister of Oxumarê, Ossaim and Omulú – Obaluaê. Devotion to the Orisha began in a region of Nigeria, known as Yoruba, in the State of Ogum, crossed by the Ewá River, which gives its name to the Orisha.

Ewá’s story begins on the day she was washing clothes by the river and helps a stranger to escape death by hiding him inside a large trough. However, this stranger was, in fact, an Ifá, a kind of African oracle, who fell in love with the young woman and taught her the gift of clairvoyance. However, Ewá refused to be his wife.

In addition to clairvoyance, the Orisha is also the ruler of the fog, and one of her stories tells precisely a fact in this regard. As Ewá becomes known for her beauty and purity, she awakens the interest of Xangô, who decides to conquer her. So, one day, he starts dancing in the middle of the fog in an Ewá territory to seduce her.

However, Xangô counted on the tricks of Ewá, who by then was already making fun of the strange way he danced, saying that he shouldn’t be there. However, he ignored her, and said that he dances wherever, whenever and however he wants.

Suddenly, the Orisha turns around, and as she leaves, taking the mist with her, she says that she is the one who rules there. Then, Xangô realizes that he is dancing in a cemetery, the only place he fears, due to his fear of death, and he never disturbs her again.

In short, those who challenge Ewá, this warrior and wise woman, who does not fear death, tend to get lost in life and no longer find her way. Finally, it is worth mentioning that the fact of being untouchable by men does not only occur in a sexual sense, but rather a representation of the warrior woman, owner of herself, and of her destiny.

With regard to visual characteristics, Ewá presents herself as a beautiful and exotic woman, who wears in addition to yellow, red and pink clothes, as well as reddish guides. Furthermore, visually we can often notice some of her objects, such as the harpoon, the ofá, the shotgun, the fan palm tree and the gourd.

Due to the religious syncretism with Santa Luzia, the festivals of Orisha Ewá also happen every…