Cosme e Damião, Ibejis and Erês: differences and dates

Cosme e Damião, Ibejis and Erês are connected in Brazilian celebrations, but their names are not interchangeable in every context. Cosme e Damião are Catholic saints; Ibejis refers to twin deities in traditions of Yoruba origin; erê has meanings associated with childhood and ritual life that must be understood within each religious house. This distinction appears, for example, in UFSB research on religious life in Cachoeira. See Jó Rodrigues Cezar Junior's study, especially page 32.

Who are Cosme e Damião, Ibejis and Erês?

Cosme e Damião in Catholic tradition

In the account presented by the Vatican, Cosme e Damião are Christian twin brothers who cared for the sick without payment and were martyred during Roman persecution. This is the religious tradition surrounding the saints, rather than a biography establishing every episode as documented history. The account itself refers to the Golden Legend when describing their suffering. Read the Vatican News account.

Ibejis and the distinction from erês

The Cachoeira study describes Ibejis as twin child deities and records their association with the saints. In the same passage, it identifies the erê as an intermediary between a person initiated into Candomblé and their orixá. The distinction matters: an association with childhood does not automatically make the deity and this ritual presence the same. The UFSB dissertation discusses this distinction in the context of Roça do Ventura.

In Umbanda, erê is also a name for childlike spirit entities, called Crianças, or Children, in some houses. The Santuário Nacional da Umbanda records this way of referring to manifestations of child spirits. Comparing that usage with the Cachoeira study helps explain why a single definition can erase religious differences. Read the Santuário's explanation.

If you encounter “erê” in an invitation, text or conversation, find out which community is speaking and how it explains the term. Avoid assuming every house uses it in the same way. A useful question is: “What does this celebration mean to your community?” Its answer helps you understand the experience without forcing it into an online definition.

This table is a reading aid, not a rule for correcting practitioners' language. To expand your vocabulary, explore our guides to orixás and spirit entities.

Is the celebration on September 26 or 27?

Both dates appear in different contexts. The liturgical calendar presented by the Vatican celebrates Cosme e Damião on September 26. This is the reference for readers looking for the Catholic observance. Check the date on Vatican News.

September 27 is a reference date for popular and terreiro celebrations. One documented example is the Festa do Erê in Mussuca, Laranjeiras, in the Brazilian state of Sergipe. In a 2010 interview with Iphan, religious leader Dona Regina identifies the 27th as the date of Cosme e Damião and explains that her community could move the festivities to nearby days depending on the week. See page 2 of the Iphan record.

To attend a celebration in 2026, confirm the programme directly with its organisers. The traditional date alone does not tell you the time, address, whether an event is public, or which moments are reserved for the community. A poster from another year does not confirm this September's schedule either.

What do the sweets and caruru mean?

Food can bring together devotion, social bonds and the transmission of memory. In the Mussuca record, Dona Regina describes the collective preparation of caruru, the singing, and the distribution of food, popcorn and sweets. Children and other community members take part. Her account shows a celebration with preparation, family connections and its own sequence of events, beyond handing out bags of sweets. Iphan documents this experience on pages 3–6.

In Bahia, the state cultural foundation highlights the caruru de sete meninos, a caruru celebration involving seven children, as part of this Afro-Brazilian heritage. Its presentation of the performance Doú Alabá brings together artists' accounts of childhood, ancestry and memories of erês. The publication also records the festivities' connection with Cosme e Damião. Explore the cultural context presented by Funceb.

Read together, these examples suggest that shared food can also preserve the stories of people and places. This is an interpretation of the records, not a claim that every celebration has the same religious foundations. This guide does not offer a recipe or number of sweets that could represent all traditions.

How to learn about a celebration respectfully

Start with information the community itself makes public. If an event welcomes visitors, follow the hosts' guidance. Ask permission before photographing people, especially children, or recording religious moments. When sharing an experience, identify its place and occasion without presenting it as a portrait of all Umbanda or all Candomblé.

For schoolwork, distinguish the Catholic account, the record of a particular celebration and the academic interpretation. The sources below let you compare these perspectives. Macumba Online offers introductory reading and entertainment; learning about a religious tradition also means listening to the people who keep it alive.