GODDESS WORSHIP

Most of the time our travels have served to show us how much we people on this globe are essentially the same. Sure, a few customs are different, but really, when all is said and done, people all over the world love their families, have to eat, have to clean, and such.

Then there are a few customs that really are radically different. In the Philippines, it was still done that people would put out food for their deceased relatives on November 1st, All Souls Day. It didn't matter if you were a devout Catholic or whatever; this cultural phenomenon was part of your DNA and upbringing.

Here in Uruguay, the Festival of Iemanja (EE-mon-zhAH) is something odd from my perspective. Every February 2nd, worshipers of Iemanja, the goddess of the sea, start gathering early in the morning (a few) and continuing through the evening (thousands).

So what goes on during this strange, ghostly, spiritual event? You'll have to take Ken and Katie's views, as Krista and I had had enough walking earlier today; we saw the preparations on the beach but not the actual litter, which offended Krista SO MUCH. Here's what Katie and Ken found:

By sunset, the beach was mobbed. Celebrants lit candles and left flowers at the statue of Iemanja. Hundreds of people waded into the water to release their offerings (this part kills Krista, my conservationist; I find it interesting that littering is what offends her, not the pagan ritual thing. We hear that some people throw such valuables as wedding dresses or fine jewelry into the water; then, later, when all the people have left, scavengers comb the beach and shallow waters to snag them!). Individual congregations staked out small areas on the sand, and each seemed to have its own variant on the ritual, although white-robed women were everywhere. Many seemed like semi-voodoo variations, kind of like that strange lady in THE PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN movies. At one meeting place, a woman held a large shell and wailed. In another, a teen-aged girl staggered in a trance (there were quite a few young girls who seemed to be in training to take over one day from the older white-robed ladies). Many performed symbolic cleansings. Others danced. Drums beat and bells rang all around. Uruguay is a very secular country, so this mass spiritualism is somewhat surprising.