Festa de Oxum

On the night of December 8, I stayed at home with a favorite babysitter while my folks went to a nearby beach for one of the biggest Afro-Brazilian religious festivals in the city, the Festa de Oxum. There was a centrally organized Batuque ritual and many, many small celebrations all along the beach. The low light offered opportunities for some fun photographic experiments.

This is Oxum, the orixa of fresh water, riches, and gold.

The scene down the beach


People praying and spirits arriving via low-light blur

Offerings to Oxum

The Batuque roda


O-zoom

Brazilian parents tend to be less rigid about bedtimes than us. These lucky kids to got to join the roda near midnight while I was long-gone in dream-land...


A happy low-light accident with painterly results

Concluding the festivities with fireworks.

O-boom.