Sailors in Umbanda: who they are, Marujada, offerings and meaning
In Umbanda, the Marinheiros are spiritual entities associated with the sea, water, navigation, joy, and the cleansing of the soul. They are also known as Marujada, Povo do Mar, or the line of the sailors, and manifest in terreiros (Umbanda temples) with an energy marked by the movement of the waves, hope, and emotional release.
They are not orixás or deities. In Umbanda, the Marinheiros are spiritual guides who work from the vibration of the waters, especially under the influence of Iemanjá in many homes. Their best-known function is to cleanse, relieve, move what is stagnant, and symbolically carry to the bottom of the sea that which causes pain, sadness, blockages, or affliction.
Their presence is usually joyful, welcoming, and expansive. They arrive with songs, greetings, swaying bodies, direct words, nautical symbols, and a way of working that blends celebration with spiritual depth. Although their tour may seem relaxed, the work of the Marinheiros is serious: they unload cargo, guide, relieve distress, and help people find safe harbor.
Technical sheet of the Marinheiros in Umbanda
| Date | Information |
|---|---|
| Name | Marinheiros, Marujos, Marujada, Povo do Mar or Povo d'Água. |
| Entity type | Spiritual entities of work and guides within Umbanda. |
| Main tradition | Umbanda, Brazil. |
| Spiritual archetype | Sailor, navigator, fisherman, captain, canoeist, pirate or person linked to the sea and waters. |
| Spiritual line | Line of the waters, Marujada, Povo do Mar or Povo d'Água. |
| Associated Orixá | Iemanjá in many houses; they can also be related to Oxum, Nanã or other water forces depending on the terreiro. |
| Spiritual field | Emotional release, spiritual cleansing, pain relief, movement, hope, love, addictions, blockages, and soul healing. |
| Form of manifestation | Body swaying, joy, singing, jokes, hugs, simple speech, navigation gestures and marine swaying energy. |
| Main symbols | Anchor, rudder, shells, cowrie shells, boat, oar, waves, salt, seawater, sailor's hat and blue and white colors. |
| Wave | Save Marujada; Save the Marinheiros; Hail seven waves; Salve or Povo d'Água, depending on the house. |
| Common offerings | White flowers, seawater, shells, blue and white candles, drinks indicated by the house, cigars or symbolic marine elements. |
Who are the Marinheiros in Umbanda
The Marinheiros are spiritual entities that work in Umbanda through the symbolic power of the sea. They manifest as sailors, navigators, fishermen, captains, pirates, canoeists, or people who in life were connected to water, ships, rivers, coasts, and navigation.
In many homes, they are understood as spirits who knew the sea, its dangers, its voyages, its storms, and its mysteries. After passing on, they continue their spiritual evolution through charity, helping those who arrive at the terreiro burdened with pain, confusion, sadness, or emotional exhaustion.
His energy combines joy and depth. The Sailor can joke, sing, laugh, and greet warmly, but he can also reach very deep into the soul of the person he consults. His words are usually simple, direct, and affectionate, like those of someone who knows the weight of life and also the need to keep sailing.
His greatest strength lies in movement. Where there is stagnation, the Sailor brings a wave. Where there is accumulated pain, he brings release. Where a person feels they are sinking, he brings the image of the port, the ship, and the hope of returning to dry land.
What is Marujada in Umbanda?
The Marujada is the group of Marinheiros who work within Umbanda. It may also be called Povo do Mar, Povo d'Água, or line of the waters, depending on the house and tradition.
It is not a single entity, but a spiritual family. Within the Marujada, one can find sailors, fishermen, raftsmen, captains, navigators, canoeists, pirates, and other entities linked to the waters. Each one may have its own name, its own way of working, and its own spiritual sphere.
La Marujada is recognized by its joy, its songs, its swaying body movements, its marine symbols, and an energy reminiscent of the ebb and flow of the waves. On many tours, its arrival transforms the atmosphere: it brings lightness, movement, confidence, and a sense of emotional release.
The central function of this line is to cleanse and move. Just as the sea receives, carries, dissolves, and transforms, the Marinheiros work to take away what weighs them down and return to the person a sense of calm, direction, and hope.
The water line: Marinheiros, Povo do Mar and Povo d'Água
The Marinheiros belong to the water element. This connection explains much of their spiritual work. Water cleanses, moves, dissolves, refreshes, carries away, and renews. Therefore, the Marinheiros are highly sought after for emotional release, soul cleansing, and the liberation from burdens that a person has carried for a long time.
Within this line of thought, several names may appear. Marujos and Marinheiros are often used for seafaring entities. Marujada refers to the entirety of that spiritual crew. Povo do Mar or Povo d'Água broaden the reference to all entities linked to the sea, rivers, fishing, navigation, and moving waters.
There are also closely related groups, such as Pescadores and Jangadeiros, who share a connection with water, although they may work with different nuances: abundance, patience, sustenance, simplicity, paths through the water and trust in the rhythm of nature.
As always in umbandaEach terreiro organizes these lines according to its foundation. In some houses, the Marinheiros have their own tour; in others, they appear within water works, cleansing rituals, or lines related to Iemanjá.
Sailors and Iemanjá
Sailors are strongly associated with Iemanjá in many Umbanda houses. Iemanjá is the great force of saltwater, the sea, spiritual motherhood, and the protection of those who sail. Therefore, the Marujada is often understood as a lineage that operates under her vibration or protection.
This relationship does not mean that the Marinheiros are Iemanjá or that they are orixás. They are spiritual entities that act within the realm of the waters and that, according to many traditions, receive from Iemanjá the power to cleanse, welcome, move, and release.
In some houses, they may also be associated with other water orixás, such as Oxum, Nanã, or Obá, depending on the phalanx, the work, and the foundation of the terreiro. But the symbolic heart of the Marujada is usually found in the sea, the waves, and the maternal strength of Iemanjá.
Taking things to the bottom of the sea: the main job of the Marinheiros
The most characteristic task of the Marinheiros is to carry to the sea that which causes pain, affliction, blockage, or suffering. This image is central to understanding their spiritual strength.
Just as the sea receives the waters of the rivers and dissolves what reaches it, the Marinheiros take a person's emotional and spiritual burdens and symbolically carry them to the bottom of the sacred sea. There, those burdens dissolve, transform, or cease to weigh them down.
That is why they are considered very powerful entities for cleansing, especially when the person arrives with deep sadness, accumulated pain, emotional blocks, anguish, spiritual fatigue or a feeling of not being able to move forward.
Its cleansing isn't always experienced as a sudden break. Often it feels like relief, like tears escaping, like breath returning, like a weight loosening. The Marinheiro doesn't just cleanse energies: it helps release what the soul has been carrying.
The swing of the Marinheiros
One of the most visible features of the Marinheiros is their body swaying. When they stand up, they can move from side to side, sway, walk as if they were on a boat, or support their body with the ebb and flow of the waves.
This movement is often misinterpreted. From the outside, some people believe the sailor arrives drunk. But in the ritual language of Umbanda, this swaying represents the movement of the sea, the memory of the ship, and the ebb and flow of the waters.
The Marinheiros may drink or smoke in some houses, always according to the terreiro's principles and the gira's control. But their gingado should not be limited to drinking. The medium's body expresses a marine energy: it rises, falls, bends, returns to the center, and allows itself to be moved by the spiritual waves.
Understanding this helps to view the tour with more respect. What appears to be disorder may be ritual language. The sea doesn't travel in a straight line; neither does the Marinheiro.
How the Marinheiros manifest themselves on tour
Marinheiros tours typically have a joyful, relaxed, and vibrant energy. These spirits may arrive singing, laughing, greeting, hugging, shaking hands, and creating an atmosphere of trust. Their presence often eases tension and makes those present feel more at ease.
Visually, they may use sailor hats, scarves, white and blue elements, ship symbols, anchors, shells, cowrie shells, or references to the sea. Each house may have its own ways of dressing, singing, and welcoming the Marujada.
Their joy doesn't mean they lack depth. Sailors can talk about love, sadness, vices, anxiety, loss, change, and difficult paths. Their way of giving advice is usually direct, affectionate, and full of maritime metaphors: sailing, letting go of ballast, seeking port, weathering storms, or waiting for the right tide.
In many homes, they work with rituals such as cleansings, consultations, chants, smoke, water, salt, flowers, or other symbolic elements. Their function is to move what is stagnant and help the person find their way again.
Symbols of the Sailors
The symbols of the Marinheiros come from the sea, navigation, ships, and water. Each element expresses a part of their spiritual work: cleansing, sustaining, guiding, leading, giving hope, and helping to weather storms.
| Symbol | Frequent meaning |
|---|---|
| Anchor | Hope, security, firmness, emotional stability and a safe harbor. |
| Rudder | Direction, decisions, control of course and spiritual guidance. |
| Barco | Journey, transit, spiritual life, changes, and the ability to traverse the unknown. |
| Surf | Movement, cleansing, emotional strength, renewal, and transformation. |
| Seawater | Download, purification, depth, strength of Iemanjá and dissolution of charges. |
| Sal Island | Cleansing, preservation, spiritual defense and cutting of dense energies. |
| Shells and cowrie shells | Sea, spiritual listening, beauty, protection and connection with the waters. |
| Starfish | Renewal, guidance, marine beauty and symbolic regeneration capacity. |
| sailor hat | Line identity, navigation, service, journey and belonging to the Marujada. |
| Blue and white colors | Sea, purity, peace, spiritual cleansing, depth and serenity. |
Phalanxes of the Mariners
The Marinheiro lineage is broad and can be organized into phalanxes or spiritual groups with different areas of focus. There is no single list valid for all terreiros, because each house recognizes its own entities, names, and forms of manifestation.
Even so, certain phalanxes frequently appear in Umbanda explanations of the Marujada. Each one expresses an aspect of the waters: peace, strength, healing, justice, movement, or cleansing after hard work.
| Phalanx | Frequent features |
|---|---|
| Blue Cloud | Strength, determination, protection, movement, and the ability to overcome difficulties. |
| Gentle Tide | Peace, tranquility, serenity, emotional relief and harmonization of the environment. |
| Aguá Maré | Healing, protection, cleansing, renewal and working with moving waters. |
| Seven Waves | Justice, truth, paths, deep cleansing and the strength of the sacred waves. |
| Marola do Mar | Discharge of spiritual waste after heavy work and driving loads towards the sea. |
| Fishermen | Abundance, patience, sustenance, simplicity, faith and work with the fruits of water. |
| rafts | Humility, trust, simple navigation, resilience and relationship with riverside or coastal communities. |
These descriptions are general. Each Marinheiro may reveal their own name, history, and field of work within the house where they manifest.
How do the Mariners help?
The Marinheiros are highly sought after for emotional cleansing, release, relief from suffering, and moving past stagnant situations. Their energy helps to release inner burdens, break down blockages, and regain hope when life seems like a storm.
They are also consulted on matters of the heart. Because of their romantic, sensitive, and approachable nature, they can guide those experiencing emotional difficulties, breakups, emotional dependency, or seeking a more secure relationship. In their language, love also requires navigation: knowing when to row, when to let go, and when to seek safe harbor.
- Release sadness, grief, anguish, or emotional exhaustion.
- Helping to release past pain and accumulated burdens.
- Clearing spiritual blockages that prevent progress.
- Work heavy loads and heavy demands according to the house.
- To provide guidance on love problems, breakups, or the search for emotional stability.
- To support processes of change, transition or uncertainty.
- To help with imbalances, vices, or habits that bind the person.
- To restore hope, confidence, and spiritual direction.
- Relieving tense environments through the energy of water.
As with all Umbanda traditions, their help is understood within an ethic of charity, cleansing, and spiritual guidance. One should not ask the Marinheiros to harm, manipulate, or dominate another person.
Offerings to the Sailors
Offerings to the Marinheiros are usually related to the sea, water, cleansing, hope, and the joy of the Marujada. However, there is no universal recipe. Each house may have its own traditions, and each deity may request specific items.
In many traditions, white flowers, blue and white candles, seawater, salt, shells, beverages specified by the entity, cigars, or symbolic navigational elements appear. The important thing is to offer with respect, not to improvise, and to follow the guidance of a well-established terreiro (temple).
| Element | What is usually offered to them | Frequent meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Seawater | Water collected or used symbolically depending on the house. | Cleaning, discharge, depth, renewal and strength of the waters. |
| Sal Island | Sea salt or saline elements indicated by the terreiro. | Purification, defense, cutting of dense energies and spiritual cleansing. |
| Shells and cowrie shells | Marine elements used as symbols of the line. | Sea, protection, beauty, spiritual listening and connection with the Marujada. |
| White flowers | White roses, white palms, hydrangeas or other suitable flowers. | Peace, purity, emotional relief, offering, and spiritual elevation. |
| Beverages | Rum, wine, cachaça or other drinks indicated by the entity and the house. | Ritual attention, joy, presence of the line and firmness of the work. |
| Smoke | Charutos, cigarettes or items allowed by the terreiro. | Download, ritual presence and spiritual work in some houses. |
| Sails | Blue, white, or colored candles as indicated by the entity. | Light, request, calm, cleansing and connection with the waters. |
| Navigation symbols | Anchor, rudder, ribbons, small boats or symbolic elements. | Hope, direction, safe harbor, and spiritual guidance. |
When an offering is related to the beach or the sea, it must be done responsibly. Glass, plastic, metal, polluting objects, or any other debris that could harm the environment should not be left behind. Many families prefer biodegradable items or symbolic ways of offering without polluting natural spaces.
Day, colors and greetings of the Mariners
There is no single date for the Marinheiros (sailors) in all Umbanda houses. As they are closely linked to Iemanjá and the waters, some celebrations may be associated with dates dedicated to the queen of the sea, which vary according to the region and the terreiro's calendar.
The most common colors are blue and white. Blue represents the ocean, its depths, the movement of the waters, and the horizon. White expresses cleanliness, peace, purity, and spiritual relief. Some houses may use other colors depending on the phalanx or entity.
The greetings also vary, but among the best known are “Hail to Marujada,” “Hail the Sailors,” “Hail to the Seven Waves,” and “Hail the Water People.” Each greeting acknowledges the strength of the spiritual crew that comes from the waters to work.
Sailors in Umbanda and the diversity of the houses
As with all Umbanda traditions, not all terreiros work with Marinheiros in the same way. Some houses dedicate specific tours to them; others receive them within water rituals, cleansings, or celebrations linked to Iemanjá.
The offerings, chants, recognized groups, clothing, items used in consultations, and the way of explaining their spiritual origin can also vary. Some traditions refer more to Marinheiros (sailors); others to Marujos (seafarers), Povo do Mar (sea people), Pescadores (fishermen), or Jangadeiros (boatmen).
This diversity should not be seen as a contradiction. Umbanda does not have a central authority that unifies all practices. Each terreiro works according to its foundation, its lineage, and the guidance of its entities.
The essence of the line remains: the Marinheiros bring the strength of the sea to cleanse, move, relieve and help find direction.
How to work with the Mariners
Working with the Marinheiros requires respect, trust, and guidance. Although their tour may seem like a party, their joy should not be mistaken for a lack of seriousness. They are working entities that help cleanse the soul, release emotional burdens, and guide those seeking relief.
Approaching them with respect means not improvising rituals or making offerings without knowing what you are doing. It also implies respecting the sea, the beaches, the rivers, and the natural spaces associated with the line.
- Approach with respect, trust, and honesty.
- Do not treat the tour as a show or a simple party.
- Do not confuse the swinging of the Marinheiros with mockery or drunkenness.
- Do not promise offerings or actions that will not be fulfilled.
- Do not ask for harm, manipulation, or domination over another person.
- Seek guidance from a terreiro or experienced guide.
- Do not improvise deliveries on beaches, rivers or seas without justification.
- Take care of the environment and do not leave trash in natural spaces.
Frequently asked questions about the Marinheiros in Umbanda
Are the Marinheiros orixás?
No. The Marinheiros are working spiritual entities within Umbanda. They are associated with the water element and with Iemanjá in many houses, but they are not orixás or deities.
What is Marujada?
The Marujada is the group of Marinheiros or seafaring entities that work in Umbanda. It can also be called Povo do Mar, Povo d'Água, or line of the waters, depending on the house.
Under which orixá do the Marinheiros work?
In many houses, they work under the influence of Iemanjá, due to her connection with the sea and saltwater. Depending on the terreiro (temple), they may also be associated with Oxum, Nanã, or other water forces.
Why do the Marinheiros sway?
The swaying represents the movement of the waves and the ship's spiritual memory. It should not be confused with drunkenness. His body moves like someone sailing on constantly swaying waters.
What is the main job of the Marinheiros?
Their primary work is emotional and spiritual release. They help to bring to the bottom of the symbolic sea the pain, blockages, affliction, and burdens that prevent progress.
How do the Mariners help?
They help with sadness, emotional pain, blockages, emotional release, love problems, changes, vices, spiritual fatigue, lack of direction, and the need to find a safe harbor.
Final summary
In Umbanda, the Marinheiros are spiritual entities associated with the sea, navigation, water, joy, and emotional cleansing. They are also known as Marujada, Povo do Mar, or Povo d'Água.
They are not orixás, although in many houses they work under the influence of Iemanjá and the water element. Their main function is to release, relieve, move what is stagnant, and symbolically carry to the bottom of the sea that which causes pain, blockage, or affliction.
Their swaying should not be mistaken for drunkenness: it expresses the ebb and flow of the waves and the spiritual memory of sailing. Nor should their joy be seen as a lack of seriousness, because behind the celebration lies a profound work of healing, cleansing, and guidance.
Understanding the Marinheiros requires respect for the diversity of Umbanda and for the sacred power of the waters. Each house may have its own foundations, but the essence of the Marujada remains clear: to cleanse the soul, restore hope, and help find safe harbor after the storm.
To delve deeper
The Marinheiros are part of the vast universe of Umbanda entities. To better understand their place within the terreiro, you can also read:
