ABOUT OUR NAME

“Saravá”, pronounced sah-rah-VAH,

The açaí berry is a fruit from a palm tree found in South America, mainly in the Brazilian Amazon. In honor of that we chose a greeting from the Afro-Brazilian spiritual traditions that translates to “welcome” as our name.

Saravá is often used when referring to the “orixas,” pronounced oh-ree-shas, or deities of the spiritual traditions of Condomblé and Umbanda in Brazil. These beautiful, creative and powerful spiritual traditions have greatly influenced Brazil and its culture. Saravá not only means welcome, but also is a form of blessing and a show of respect making it the perfect name for our establishment as we want all our customers to feel welcome and appreciated.

The graphic on the back of our t-shirt displays the Amazonian rainforest and açaí, as well as the indian or “caboclo” as they are called in Brazil and there is another face surrounded by foliage. These figures are two of the “orixas”, referred to above. These two particular deities are both connected to the Amazon and the rainforest. The Indian is known as Oxossi, the Supreme Hunter who brings justice and the ability to focus on and achieve one’s goals. He also brings abundance and prosperity due to his familiarity with the rainforest and all that it has to offer. The other figure, Ossãe, pronounced oh-sayn, is the powerful and mysterious healer of the rainforest who knows all the magical and medicinal plants and their uses. Açaí is one of his favorite medicinal plants. Together these two companions discover the mysteries of the rainforest and offer their wisdom and magic to the world, making them the perfect patrons for SARAVÁ.