Obatalá, The Sky Father/Mother
Symbol: purity, white dove
Known as Ochalá or Oxalá, Orichalá or Orixalá in Santería; and Oxalá in Candomblé.
Obatalá or Orisa Nla is the Sky Father in Yoruba cosmology and the creator of human bodies, which were then brought to life by the breath of Olodumare. Obatalá is the oldest orisha. In the Caribbean his principal wife is Yemaya, whereas in Yorubaland, he is believed to have had 201 wives, of which Yemaya was the most favored. And yet while Obatalá has a wife, he is gender-fluid, with both female and male aspects. He is androgynous, making him the orisha of all beings, regardless of gender. Similarly, he is free of color, therefore is associated with white, because it is polychromatic. Obatalá is also said to absorb all wavelengths from 700nm at the red end of the spectrum to 400nm at the violet end of the spectrum.
Obatalá was instructed by Olodumare to create land upon the face of the waters underneath the skies. Through his efforts, the first Yoruba city and mother-city of humanity, Ile-Ife, was created. Obatalá is Olodumare’s representative on Earth. While there exists an Obatalá in the Yoruba pantheon, it is understood that the qualities of the Obatalá god was merged into the human Obatalá, who ruled Ife upon his post-humous deification. By this, Obatalá the human, king of Ife, was admitted into the pantheon of gods as an aspect of the primordial divinity of the same name.
Obatalá is a saint among saints, the archetypical spirit of creativity. He is the patron of children, childbirth, albino people, and anyone with birthmarks.
In Santería, Obatalá is the oldest “orisha funfun” (i.e., “white deity”), referring to his purity both physically and symbolically as the light of consciousness. Obatalá is syncretized with Our Lady of Mercy and Jesus Of Nazareth. In Candomblé, Obatalá is syncretized with Our Lord Of Bonfim, the patron saint of Bahia. Worshippers don all white clothing in ceremony to Obatalá and is the symbol of Candomblé in general. Friday is the day dedicated to Obatalá; and a large religious celebration of the Festa do Bonfim occurs in January in Salvador, where church steps are washed with special water made from flowers. Obatala’s festivals occur in September 8-12th, and 24th.
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