When situations get difficult they have the gift of granting solutions. tools and services, along with expert support and education, we help creative entrepreneurs start, manage, and scale their businesses. It is one of the numerous syncretic religions created by Africans brought to the Caribbean islands as slaves. their needs while faithfully upholding their African-belief system, by worshipping Ochun while pretending to worship a Catholic saint. After the colonial period Afro-Cuban religions were criminalized by the authorities. Santeria. The Encyclopedia Britannica discloses that the term "Santera" translates to "way of the saints," a word hinting at how the religion came into being. Today there are Santer followers throughout the population. The vignettes of saint images are linked together with a metal chain with 7 of Ogun's tools hanging from the bottom. Yemaya is the orisha of lakes and seas and the patron of women and of motherhood. Each color combination represents a different Orisha (deity) of the Yoruba pantheon. Read Paper. Ochosi . This date from 1500, celebrates Santeria. The Santeria necklace and bracelet is the bridge into the realm of the saints and orishas. Out of this syncretism there developed a highly complex form of religion known as Santeria, or the way of the . Most plantation owners in the Caribbean were members of the Roman . In this time anyone caught in the worship of native gods would be punished and many times by death, Africans and the native Tainos. Pataks, secrets of the . The religion is also known as La Regla Lucumi and the Rule of Osha. Yemaya is maternal, dignified and nurturing, the spiritual mother of all. Though there are around 400 Orishas or messenger divinities, only a handful are regularly worshiped. . An underlying belief that is reflected in their rituals and ceremonies is trying to find harmony with the world and ones place and role in the world. The religion is also known as La Regla Lucumi and the Rule of Osha. 9 Colors Skirt/ Saya 9 Colores/ Santeria/ Yoruba . Just as the saints serve as emissaries to the creator god in the Catholic religion, so Santera has a creator god and a huge number of lesser deities, or saints, known as orishas. Santeria is a syncretic religion that grew out of the slave trade in Cuba. The clock strikes 12, and the brick row houses along this quiet Columbia Heights street go dark in the bitterly cold December night. He is key to any of the religious practices. Orula possesses and personifies wisdom, but he's also a powerful healer. If you're interested in Santeria, and perhaps Voudou and related traditions, this is an enormously helpful reference book. Yemaya, the color blue in all its shades, by the sea and its depths. Santera (Spanish pronunciation: [san.tei.a]), also known as Regla de Ocha, Regla Lucum, or Lucum, is an African diasporic religion that developed in Cuba during the late 19th century. OCHOSI. Santeria is a fairly complex system, because it blends the Yoruba orishas, or divine beings, with the Catholic saints. The orishas rule over every aspect of nature and human endeavor. The preferred spelling varies depending on the language in question: r is the spelling . The name Olofi is under the image of Jesus. For Babal Ay, San Lzaro and Oy. However, it's also called "Ayoba religion," "Regla de Och," "La Regla de If" and "Lukumi.". A blend of Catholicism and Nigerian paganism that evolved centuries ago, when Yoruba slaves were taken from Nigeria to Cuba, santera consists of a panoply of saints, or orishas, which are a combination of Catholic saints . In some areas, African slaves learned that honoring their ancestral orishas was far safer if their Catholic owners believed they were worshiping saints instead - hence the tradition of overlap between the two. Answer: The beads in the tradition of Santeria (also referred to as La Regla de Ocha or Lukumi) are called Elekes, or collares. He is the creator of many of Santeria's other divinities, and thus must be treated with respect as a father . . One by one, crowded shoulder-to-shoulder, the . Both Mary and Yemaya's colors are blue and white. Santeria is based on the West African religions brought to the . Meaning of the colors of the 7 African Powers: Although in union this candle is powerful we must always respect and know the representative color of each Orisha separately: To Obatal, the white color of purity and clarity. He represents male beauty and virility, passion and power. The color black is linked to the night and is synonymous with authority and strength, like the orishas Oggn and Eleggu. His color brown and beige and the number is 3. Little recognized or understood by outsiders, Santera is a flourishing Afro-Cuban religion that is growing in popularity in the United States. Santeria Religion. Obatala. The Orishas. Santeria deities 2009-09-15 But here at the home of 72-year-old Eloy Hernandez, the day has . Each of the Orishas is listed with corresponding Catholic saints (and their detailed histories and feast days), colors, days of the week, offerings, necklaces, and more. In 2020 alone, purchases on Etsy generated nearly . Santeria deities 2009-09-15 However, the saints of Santeria are also known through their importance and relationship with the development of this religion. . Siete Potencias 7 African Powers Macuto Santeria Amulet Multicolor Created from cowrie shells and seed beads, the Macuto is an amulet prepared for the Orisha, a spirit or deity in the Santeria or Yoruba system of beliefs. Catholics had saints and the Africans had orishas. The religion has become a visible part of Cuban street life, especially in the big cities. These beaded necklaces are ritually prepared and ceremonially given to devotees. Osain/Saint Joseph. The orishas are the emissaries of Olodumare or God almighty. ; Spiritual meaning of the color brown. Tariq Sawandi Yorubic medicine is indigenous to and widely practiced on the African continent. Santeria is an Afro-Caribbean religion which spread across Cuba during the slave trade. In it, Catholic SAINTS are identied with traditional African deities, mainly Yoruba from . The police confiscated objects from rituals and worked to control its . Santeria is one of the many African syncretistic religions created in the Americas. LA SANTERIA: MITOS Y LEYENDAS DE CADA DIOS. Getting to know Santeria's divinities. Until recently Santera and other Afro-Cuban religions had a low sta- tus in Cuba. Browns. Santera The Yoruba people, who were brought over from Nigeria as slaves, came to the Caribbean in the 1500's with their own religion, which was seen as unfit by the white slave owners. After the colonial period Afro-Cuban religions were criminalized by the authorities. Minutes before midnight and the prayers begin. Sep 16th, 2008 Published. . SANTERIA, SUS CREENCIAS Y GUARDIANES SANTOS (ORISHAS). Their colors are purple and brown or purple and yellow and the number is 17. Check out our santeria prayer selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our shops. Lazarus. In truth, Santeria is so far from that perceived reality. Most of the people running the school, along with the students, were practitioners. The media and Hollywood portrays Santeria as a dark, scary, devilish type of religion. 5 Pages. Practitioners often wear their Santeria beads colors, even when not communing with their orisha, as symbol of their faith and a plea for guidance in their daily lives. He is frequently associated with the police, prisons, and the legal system. In spite of semantics, the term Santer a still has currency with many devotees who refuse to remove the Catholic saints from their altars because of personal allegiances. Here is an introduction to a few key Orishas and their parallel saints in Catholicism. The Spirit of Santeria. Until recently Santera and other Afro-Cuban religions had a low sta- tus in Cuba. As a sacred emblem of the Santeria religion, these beaded jewels represent connection to the orishas that guide us in our daily lives. Essay Sample. His number is 21 and three, his colors are black and red, and his temperament is talkative, curious, and inquisitive. Within the Cuban community it is also known as Regla de Ocha, La Regla Lucumi, or Lukumi. The word syncretistic means to "draw together" or "combine." In a religious situation, this involves the mixing of elements from different or independent religious traditions to create a new belief system. (ORISHAS . First to San Lazaro, or Saint Lazarus, considered a healer of physical and spiritual pain. Among the attributes that are associated with Olokun are the sirens, the rudder, the anchors, the shells, etc. Often referred to as a Cuban mystery religion, the word santera literally means "the worship of saints.". Is the god of hunters and spell casters. In order to maintain their religion, Africans living on the island prayed in secret by superimposing their orishas on Catholic saints. In Santeria, each of the Orisha is represented by specific colors and may be identified with specific Catholic saints. Santeria does not have a specific moral code such as found in Judeo-Christian religion and, as such, is amenable to enhancing the criminal enterprises of those who may . When I was in Brazil, the school I worked at also functioned as a partial safe haven for Candomble, the Brazilian equivalent to Santeria. Its brown and beige color and the number is 3. Men and women who've received the mano de Orula or cof de Orula wear a simple yellow and green beaded bracelet on the left wrist to protect them from premature death. Santeria is a syncretic religion that grew out of the slave trade in Cuba. Inmates may retain up to seven necklaces in their possession, wearing only one at a time. Santeria does not promote malevolent or criminal activities, but it does have a component of malevolent sorcery that is often used by criminal individuals for their own purposes. This ancient religion of the Yoruba people (Nigeria . 1204 Words. Santeria (Way of the Saints) Santeria (Way of the Saints) is an Afro-Caribbean religion based on Yoruba beliefs and traditions, with some Roman Catholic elements added. Each color combination represents a different Orisha (deity) of the Yoruba pantheon. The last ritual of the initiation process is known as Asiento "ascending the throne" and is the most important and the most secretive ritual in Santera, as it is the ceremony where the iyawo "bride of the oricha" becomes "born again" into the faith. In order to keep the religion and life, The slaves became "Christianized" at least to the slave owners. t. e. Orishas (singular: orisha) are spirits that play a key role in the Yoruba religion of West Africa and several religions of the African diaspora that derive from it, such as Cuban, Dominican and Puerto Rican Santera and Brazilian Candombl. Related to fertility, stability and intellectual capacity. a harvest of collective noun; ghost longboard skeleton hand. Santera. Their beaded necklaces, known as elekes, indicate which orisha they've been consecrated under--red and white for Chango, the patron of fire, thunder and lightning; yellow for Oshun, patron of . Find this Pin and more on BlacK MagicK by Inna Smith. The same colors that represent the diviner's sacred pact with Ik (death) to protect the religious who will wear these colors on their ilde. Practitioners often wear their Santeria beads colors, even when not communing with their orisha, as symbol of their faith and a plea for guidance in their daily lives. He is also known as a god of justice. He works with herbs and roots to cure people. She is the god of beauty, love, prosperity, order and fertility, and represents feminine grace. Associated with health and personal success. Santeria consists of the Catholic Saints combined with the attributes and needs of the gods from the Yoruba religion. El White color: This color represents the light, peace and purity of Father Obbatal and Oduduw, also . . Also known as Regla de Ocha, La Regla Lucumi. The deities or saints in santeria are called orishas. His colors are yellow and green, and his eleke (beaded necklace) is made of yellow and green beads, alternating. Santeria began in Cuba as a mixture of the Western African Yoruba Religion and Iberian Catholicism. Santeria is an Afro-Caribbean religion which spread across Cuba during the slave trade. Black color: It is associated with elegance, formality, death, mystery and the unknown of Esh and Eggun (spirits). The colors of Oy Yansa In Santeria, in addition to brown, there are red wine and rainbow tones, the same phenomenon that nature symbolizes. Chang is a mighty warrior. In general the meaning of the colors of the 7 African powers in Santeria it is full of power, and they contain . The colors and numbers associated with each Orisha are listed in a separate chart. For. You know the name of the Santeria saints in charge of finding missing things, because the person in charge of this is Eleggua or for Catholics San Antonio. Typically practiced in private ritual communities rather than public worship spaces, many practitioners in the U.S. encounter a lack of knowledge about--and hostility to--their tradition. Santer a aesthetics therefore comprises a complex mythology, a pantheon of deities, color symbolism, rituals, and ceremonies that santeros employ in the veneration of . Santeria curses are an Afro - Caribbean religion based on Yoruba beliefs and traditions, with some Roman Catholic elements added.Santeria curses came from a syncretic religion that originally came from the slave trade in Cuba.Syncretism is something that is seemingly contradictory when it comes to beliefs. Followers of the faith need to have in-depth knowledge about the rites and follow a strict regimen. An introduction to the Yoruba Religion . It is pure energy flowing, it helps to achieve spirituality. He is frequently associated with the police, the jails, and the legal system. The Seven African Powers are seven of the most potent and venerated Orishas. She is the protector of the poor and mother of the sick, as well as the queen of the rivers and freshwater. He is also known as a god of justice. This saint is associated with Our Lady of Charity, the patron saint of . Some say he was a fourth-century diocesan, but most Cubans visualize him as the Biblical Lazarus the poor guy that can't enter the kingdom of heaven, that Jesus raises from the dead. Obatal is actually a androgynous Orisha where half of his avatars are male and the other half . The Santeria necklaces and Santeria beads help to bridge the gap between the Santero and the orisha, offering the wearer protection and control, while communing with the orishas. The slaves took each African god (Orisha) and renamed them after the saints. A Santeria practitioner may have contact with his/her babalao or priest. Now, depending on who you ask, the 7th (Oya) is . This serves as a brief, but not comprehensive, introduction to this religious and . necklace(s) made in the colors of the Orisha under whose protection s/he is initiated. Blue. His colors are red and white, and his eleke (sacred necklace) is made of alternating red and . Their gods or Orisha were referred to by the Spanish word, Santos, which is why many outsiders called their religion Santeria, meaning The Way of the Saints. Different stages of initiation involve various . It arose through a process of syncretism between the traditional Yoruba religion of West Africa, the Roman Catholic form of Christianity, and Spiritism.There is no central authority in control of . Their ability to resist oppression was fortified by their collective reliance on their orishas for guidance and strength. Once Largely Unknown in Area, Afro-Cuban Faith Attracts a Following. It is also known as Regla de Ocha, Regla de Ifa, or La Regla Lucum. Check out our santeria selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our shops. Each orisha has their own necklace that is composed using their colors,number and path or camino taken. phy associated with those Catholic saints on their own religious displays.5 Brandon includes a 1930s photograph of an altar display from Cuba that shows distinctive Santeria items including containers for the Orisha god objects on the floor and Christian objects (candles, chromolithographs of saints, etc.) Indeed, the term "Lukumi" can refer to several different things: An . Santera is a popular religious movement originating in Cuba that combines African and Roman Catholic themes. on the table and walls above (1993: 121). Violets. His colors are purple and brown or purple and yellow and the number is 17. This ritual is a culmination of the previous rituals and cannot be made unless the . According to oral traditions, Chango, the lord of thunder, is the third king of the city of Yorubic medicine has its roots in the Ifa Corpus, a religious text revealed by the mystic prophet, Orunm . Santeria is a syncretic religion, i.e., a combination of various other beliefs and rituals with their own. Michael Perez Nora Erro Peralta Latin American Studies 11.20.2008 Santeria, Not Witchcraft Santeria is a polytheistic Afro-Cuban religion generated from a combination of the Yoruba religion and Catholicism. Green represents life and peace of mind, while yellow represents death and weakness. It has elements mainly of the Yoruba religion and Christianity. Notable Cuban Saints. It is a personal shrine that grants the wearer protection, communion and control over spiritual affairs. In Cuban Catholicism, Lazarus, the customer saint of the unwell and also inadequate, is stood for as a homeless beggar bordered by pet dogs. It is also known as Regla de Ocha, Regla de Ifa, or La Regla Lucum. Santeria creates community and a way to cope with life. When the Seven are brought together in invocation and prayer, they will do amazing things for their people. Generally their colors are blue, white or black. Once known as "Santera," La Regla de Ocha-If and La Regla de Lukum came to the United States with Cuban immigrants. Topics: Open Document. Because of the image to the right, most people mistakenly think that the Seven African Powers are the orishas: Elegua, Ogun, Orula, Chango, Oshun, Yemaya and Obatala. Fans, seashells, canoes, coral, and the moon all represent her. It was developed out of need for the African slaves in order to carry on practicing their native religion in the New World. Santeria (Way of the Saints) Santeria (Way of the Saints) is an Afro-Caribbean religion based on Yoruba beliefs and traditions, with some Roman Catholic elements added. So, under the constraints of their oppres-sion, the slaves began to fuse the intermediaries of the two religions and to identify a specific orisha with a corresponding specific saint. Answer: The beads in the tradition of Santeria (also referred to as La Regla de Ocha or Lukumi) are called Elekes, or collares. Just as in the catholic faith where there is one god with his emissaries the saints, so too does santeria have one god with his many orishas. Chang (Shang) is the owner of fire, lightening, thunder, and war, but he is also the patron of music, drumming, and dancing. The elekes are the first level of . It's also about combining various beliefs while melding practices different schools . The Cuban Yoruba often used the iconography of Catholic saints to express their devotions to Yoruba spirits called orishas. Orisha: Obatal Saint: Our Lady of Mercy Colors: White Number: 8 Description: Obatala is the eldest of the Orishas, the owner of white cloth, the king of peace and logic.He encourages us to use diplomacy and reason when acting and is often the Orisha who mediates disputes between the other orishas. The police confiscated objects from rituals and worked to control its . Corresponding Orishas and Saints Chart |. A regular . Chang, Lord of Fire and Lightning. It has elements mainly of the Yoruba religion and Christianity. Santeros typically wear beaded necklaces and bracelets with the colors of the primary orishas . But, recognizing similarities between the saints and their old gods, the slaves simply renamed their gods using the saints' names and continued with their old worship. They rule over the forces of nature and the endeavors of humanity. For. For Oy. They recognise themselves and are recognised through their different numbers and colors which are their marks, and each has their own favorite foods and other things which they like to receive as offerings and gifts. To Oshn, the color yellow or orange, for gold . Then an "Our Father" and a "Hail Mary," all in Spanish. Each of the saints of Santeria has a specific feature to identify and distinguish. He is the god of hunters and spellcasters. On a cultural level, the meanings of brown are related to the color of autumn and withering, which is in turn the end of spring, but the beginning of winter. Pray to them for a safe journey on the sea, fertility issues, a healthy pregnancy, and healthy . Santeria is a syncretic religion, i.e., a combination of various other beliefs and rituals with their own. "When the Africans arrived to Cuba, they brought their own religion: a religion of orishas, or saints. The Seven African Powers are these seven Orishas: Eshu Elegbara, Ogun, Obatala, Yemaya, Oshun, Shango and Oya. However, those of the Yoruba tribe, from what is now Nigeria, cleverly disguised their real beliefs by using the names of Catholic saints to mask their pagan gods. It was interesting to watch as the people's personalities and characteristics so closely resembled that of their Orisha(s). Other aspects of him include him being the owner of all crossroads, doors, and roads; the allowance of prayers to reach the gods and the facilitating of divination. The religion has become a visible part of Cuban street life, especially in the big cities. Her colors are white and blue. She is associated with Our Lady of Regla, the protector of sailors. Ochn; Ochn is the youngest of the saints. The name Santera, "the way of the saints," is the most common Spanish word used to describe these practices, and the word santero (m.) or santera (f.) indicates an initiated devotee. The Followers of the Santeria Religion. In fact, there are many, but there are Latin American countries where those considered to be the main ones are usually known, especially. And like the saints, you can find an orisha for anything that ails you. The Santeria necklaces and Santeria beads help to bridge the gap between the Santero and the orisha, offering the wearer protection and control, while communing with the orishas. partners personnel san diego; ed cohen lawyer near hamburg; pasta vs macaroni which is better These beaded necklaces are ritually prepared and ceremonially given to devotees. Santera, "The Way of the Saints," developed among African slaves in Cuba, and has spread throughout the Caribbean and the United States. Today there are Santer followers throughout the population. Their day is Saturday. Thus, the pseudonym of "Santeria" was created, which in Spanish means "the worship of saints." Some estimates are that as many as 100 million people worldwide follow this faith.