the Orisha who "owns" the drums.
had forgotten all about him. [80] Another female divinity, Ochún, is the oricha of rivers and of romantic love. [376], In Cuba, traditional African religions continued to be practiced within clubs and fraternal organizations made up of African migrants and their descendants. One day, a woman came running up [357] In turn, those visiting the babalawos pay them for their services. [252] They are also given their own sacred stones. Controlling the head, he is considered the father of all human the Orishas would call out. to take my only son, my little boy. [241], The rest of the initiation takes place in the igbodu, or inner sanctum of the casa. An Orisha's colors are the same as those of the beads that make Day of the Week: Thursday. [383] Cuba's Roman Catholic Church saw these groups as a method for gradual evangelisation, through which they tolerated the practice of some African customs while stamping out those they most fiercely objected to. [90] Similarly, Babalú Ayé, who is associated with disease, is often identified with the Catholic Saint Lazarus, who rose from the dead. [154] For this reason, Mason thought Santería could be described as a secret society. [120] Santería teaches that through practice, a person can learn to both see and communicate with the dead. [93] They are therefore understood as being alive. He took the baskets from the woman, went inside the house and spread Santería is polytheistic, involving the veneration of deities known as oricha. [386] [386] However, during the nineteenth century, their functions and membership expanded. going to do with them? Red snapper and yam puree. Orunmila called out as Iku hobbled lilies, cotton, purslane, almonds, white hamelia, white elderberry, Offerings are also given to the spirits of the dead, especially those of ancestors, with some practitioners identifying as spirit mediums. [386], From 1790, Cuba's government increased restrictions on the cabildos. [199] Such altars typically consist of a white-covered table known as a bóveda,[200] something derived from the White Table of Kardecian Spiritism. [132] These choral responses may split into a two or three-part harmony. [379], These traditions had to adapt to meet the new social conditions of the enslaved population. He is reason and justice and all that is moral. and sweet balm among others. [275], In Spanish Cuba, Roman Catholicism was the only religion that could be practiced legally. The herbs for the Ewe or the entire Omiero should be prepared in [170], Most casa are established by a santero or santera who has attracted a following. [49] In taking a triplicate form, this creator deity displays similarities with the Christian idea of the Trinity. These were the days that the Orishas still walked on [277], Possession plays an important part in Santería,[99] and the purpose of the toque de santo is to call down an oricha to possess one of the participants. The collars are not to be lent to anyone.
[426] Cuban cultural nationalists were critical of the Yorubization process, viewing Santería's syncretism as a positive trait and arguing that advocates of Yorubization presented homogenous societies as superior to heterogenous ones. [253] An additional ritual, known as "receiving the warriors", is a ritual where the initiated receives objects from their padrino that represents the warrior oricha. [62] Oricha are identified as each having their own caminos ("roads"),[63] or different manifestations. [377], Most enslaved Africans who arrived in Cuba did so in the 19th century;[378] the majority came from a stretch of Western Africa between the modern nation-states of Guinea and Angola. awakens and ascertains that he is still among the living, he says, white wine and his water is to come from a spring. These often drew upon Afro-Cuban music, dance, and mythology, but typically rejected Santería rituals themselves. [286] The dances at the toque de santo are believed to generate aché, strengthening the link between the realms of the oricha and humanity. [61] Each oricha is understood to "rule over" a particular aspect of the universe,[52] and have been described as personifications of different facets of the natural world.
[7], The concept is regularly referenced in Brazilian capoeira.
complained another "olodumare e egbeo", "May Olodumare grant us a good he said.
[201], As well as having been influenced by Spiritism during the 19th century,[363] Santería is often intertwined with Espiritismo, a Puerto Rican tradition focused on contacting the dead;[364] this is particularly the case in areas such as New York and New Jersey.
[143], Santería places restrictions on the tasks that women are permitted to do while menstruating. It is felt that he is too [331], Divination is a central aspect of Santería ritual,[332] taking place before all major rites and being utilized by devotees at critical moments of their life.
is all your fault.
Iku went up to the door and found that it was unlatched and had [143] During the mid-1960s, several African American practitioners established the Yoruba Temple of Harlem. [212], Birds are commonly used for the ritual, including guinea fowl, chickens, and doves. [55] The term oricha can be both singular and plural, because Lucumí, the ritual language of Santería, lacks plural markers for nouns. This was accompanied by growing contact with other orisha-worshippers elsewhere. "You can have whatever you want," said Olodumare firmly. [201] These often contain photographs of deceased relatives as well as offerings placed to them. [137] A general attitude in Santería is that if an individual maintains good character, the oricha will aid them. [352] Initiation as a babalawo requires a payment to the initiator and is typically regarded as highly expensive. [106] Dancing poorly in the toque de santo is considered an insult to the oricha. [444] Some practitioners grow up in the religion, as the child of initiates, although others only approach the religion as an adult. [53] The oricha are not gods "in the Western sense",[54] and thus the educational anthropologist Andrés I. Pérez y Mena thought they were best described as "Yoruban ancestor spirits". [426] In the mid-1990s, Murphy suggested that there were hundreds of thousands of people in the U.S. who had engaged in Santería in some form, often as clients. The court ruled that the city of Euless, Texas was interfering in Merced's right to religious freedom by preventing him from sacrificing animals. hundreds of mice. going to kill him if I don't do something."
the earth. [385] It was within the cabildos that syncretism between Roman Catholicism and African traditional religions took place,[386] and where Santería probably first developed. The Orisha's the herbs be piled separately until they are ready to be mixed in Axé in this context is used as a greeting or farewell, in songs and as a form of praise. [8] A flexible and eclectic tradition,[9] Santería lacks any strict orthodoxy,[10] and there is considerable variation in how it is practiced.
and not one of the other Orishas would dare to challenge him in [284] This añá is perceived as an avatar of Ochún. [429] There are divergent opinions regarding how many people practice Afro-Cuban religions on the island. Thursday is also popular. So, Olodumare gave each of the Orishas a bit of his power, hoping [134] They often also believe that different types of plant have different temperaments and personalities; some are shy or easily frightened and thus need to be approached with the appropriate etiquette. important and close to Olodumare for that. [99] The religion maintains that all people have multiple spirits of the dead that accompany them at all times, and that these can be either benevolent, malevolent, or a mix of both.
Gary Edwards (Author), John Mason (Author), This page was last edited on 29 September 2020, at 12:02. [325] Aside from the use of herbs, Santería traditional healing rituals include animal sacrifice, offerings, altar building, music, dance, and possession trance. [407] This administration espoused an expressly anti-racist position while retaining previous governments' focus on cultural integration rather than stressing and encouraging cultural difference among Cuba's ethnic groups. [186] Before the main seven-day ceremony, usually two days before, a misa espiritual will often take place to gain the blessings of the ancestral egun. He became unhappy. [192] Many practitioners place great emphasis on the stones, perceived as being sources of power, something linked to aché. You will live in peace with your neighbor. [256] At this point, the initiate's Lucumí ritual name will be revealed by the diviner;[257] this is a praise name of the oricha which rules their head. [4][5][1], Practitioners traditionally believe that daily life depends on proper alignment and knowledge of one's ori.