Ọya is an orixá of fire, like Xangô, but it is also related to winds, lightning and violent storms. It is usually revered before Xangô, as the personified wind that precedes the storm.
The name Iansã is a title that Oiá received from Xangô, which refers to the evening. Iansã means "The mother of the pink sky" or "The mother of the evening" (respectively "A mãe do céu rosado" and "A mãe do entardecer" in Portuguese). That's what he called her because he said she was radiant like the sunset.
Mythology[]
Africa[]
In Yoruba, the name Ọya is believed to derive from the coined phrase "ọ ya", meaning "she tore", which refers to its association with strong winds. She is often portrayed as a buffalo in traditional poetry and is believed to have the power to transform into a buffalo, which is why killing such an animal is forbidden to her priests.
Brazil[]
Devotees usually offer her her favorite foods, acarajé (àkàrà), ekuru, and abará. The traditional greeting of her devotees is "Eeparrei!" or "Epahhey, Oia!", her sacred day is Thursday, her colors are red, purple, rainbow, and burgundy, her symbols are the eruquerê “buffalo tail”, a ritual object, or a copper sword, and have bans on pumpkin, stingray, and mutton.
Inhansã or Oiá, as she is also called in Brazil, is a deity in Yoruba mythology associated with winds, waters, storms and lightnings, being the companion of Xangô, the lord of lightning and storms. Attributes of Iansã include great intensity of feelings, sensations, and charm. Another ability attributed to Iansã is control over the mysteries that surround the dead. She is greeted as "Iya mesan lorun", a title referring to the task she received as guide of the dead. Iansã is associated with sensuality, and of the female Orixás, she is one of the most warlike and imposing.
In Salvador, Oiá or Iansã is syncretized with Santa Bárbara, who is the godmother of the Fire Department and patron saint of the markets. She is honored on December 4th at the Feast of Saint Barbara of the Catholic Church. It is a large syncretic event, consisting of a mass, a procession carried out by Catholics and Candomblé practitioners, in addition to festivities in the terreiros, the caruru de Iansã, samba de roda and presentations by capoeira and maculelê groups.
In Candomblé the color used to represent it is brown, although it is more identified with the color pink. In Brazil there was a great distortion regarding its rulerships and origins.