The beliefs and rituals of a growing religion in america by miguel a. As santer i a becomes a global religion spread by traveling elders, published texts, and the internet, facetoface relationships remain central to. Vodou, also spelled voodoo, voudou, vodun, or french vaudou, a religion practiced in haiti. Religious practices santeria church of the orishas. Catherine beyer is a practicing wiccan who has taught religion in at lakeland college in wisconsin as well as humanities and western culture at the university of wisconsin, green bay. Santeria is based on yoruba beliefs, while voodoo is based on fon and ewe beliefs. Quoting an essay on the lukumi tradition by afolabi. Santeria consists of myths, stories, and legends or pataki that provide a basis for its customs and ceremonies. The first is their ability to control a variety of human forces.
The free exercise of religion latin american studies. Now you can discover the inner secrets of this religion in santeria. These days, its far more prevalent than catholicism on the islandsanteros outnumber catholics by 81. The orishas are the gods of santeria, the beings that believers interact with on a regular basis. The religion is centered on african traditions and has some elements of christianity. Santeros believe that orishas are supernatural beings that emanate from olofi, the creator god of humankind and the saints. Vodou is a creolized religion forged by descendents of dahomean, kongo, yoruba, and other african ethnic groups who had been enslaved and brought to colonial saintdomingue as haiti was known then and christianized by roman catholic missionaries in the. The resulting religion is known as santeria, a blend of primitive magic and catholicism now practiced by an estimated five million americans.
Each deity represents an aspect of nature, like thunder, and a human characteristic, like power. This beautiful odu teaches us about the power of our words, the importance of our legacy that we leave behind and our own purpose in life. The main difference between santeria and voodoo is the spanish influence of santeria and the french influence of voodoo. Santeria is an afrocaribbean religion that developed from the cuban slave trade. The site promotes religious tolerance and respect for difference by offering accurate, accessible information. Santeria stems from the african religion yoruba and was forced to. No one could write this book better than migene gonzalezwippler. An african religion brought to the americas by slaves, it was disguised within a facade of catholicism. Oct 16, 20 santeria lukumi is a communal religion in order to understand the way you learn santeria, you must understand the history of our faith and our culture for the two are largely indivisible. Santeria lukumi came together on the island of cuba as the aggregate worship of the various yorubaspeaking people from different tribes, along with.
The beliefs and rituals of a growing religion in america. Lizette alvarez explained in a new york times article about santeria philosophy. Thou much of the meaning of santeria is explained as worshiping the devil but if we understand then the name santeria itself proves that it has nothing to do with the devil because the name santeria is a spanish term which if translated would mean worshiping the saints and hence it is believed that the saints when. As saint barbara is syncretized with the orisha chango, many elders in lucumi will honor today as changos day. A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext. This religion that was created out of slavery, cruelty, and the unexpected mixing of different cultures and nations has about 75 100 million followers these days. Karabe insists on the necessity of understanding yoruba history in. Argued november 4, 1992decided june 11, 1993 petitioner church and its congregants practice the santeria religion, which employs animal sacri. Yoruba religious beliefs are part of itan, the total complex of songs, histories, stories, and other cultural concepts which make up the yoruba society. These are combined with elements of roman catholicism. Yaquelinpausedinherexplanationwhenshecaughtsight ofthenextstoponher shoppingtripshestopped. Santeria isnt just a religion its a reflection of the cuban personality.
In particular, yoruba speaking slaves brought religious practices of. The saints are worshiped in different forms of deities and are known as orishas and the priest who practice the form of worshiping are known as santero, but to attain priesthood in santerian religion one has to go through three level of initiation, thus santeria is often also termed as the religion of initiation. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading santeria. Aborisha is a term that refers to both the worship of the orisha, and to the individual worshiper. Christianity and other faiths have become topics of hot debates within. It is a rather new religion, having been founded just 500 years ago, in 1515. In order to preserve the religion the slaves each gave their patronage saint to each other.
Developed by the descendants of slaves, santeria became, and remains, the primary religion of the mestizo and black working class cubans clark, 2007. The name by which the religion is now most commonly known, santeria, is a pejorative term first applied by the spanish to the religious practices of the peasantry. However, as with any religion, followers of vodou cannot be lumped into a single category. The religion, once largely unknown in the metropolitan area, venerates saints and incorporates a belief in divination, spirit possession and. It emerged in cuba during the 17th century, and has been embedded in cuban society ever since. Orisha saint worship and social traditions of west africa, influenced. This article explains the santeria religion and its practice among incarcerated. Since the early times of paganism, religion has diversified and grown to include major monotheistic religions like judaism, christianity, and islam, as well as indian and far eastern religions like buddhism and sikhism, iranic religions like zoroastrianism and bahai, and african indigenousbased religions like santeria. Sep 15, 2009 the santeria faith teaches that every individual has a destiny from god, a destiny fulfilled with the aid and energy of the orishas. The beliefs and rituals of a growing religion in america, miguel a. African spirituality, traditional, magic, religious beliefs and practices, as well as the spread of. Professor ade dopamu, professor of religion at moi university, kenya, elaborates on various theological issues associated with one of the worlds most influential religions, for yoruba religion claims no less than one hundred million believers worldwide.
It is divided into in various traditions, reflecting the different nations of origin. University of central florida, 2008 a thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of master of arts in the department of anthropology in the college of sciences at the university of central florida. Santeria believe in a god, olodumare also called olorun or olofi, the creator of the universe. The religion is an informative and insightful examination of an african religion s survival in the new world. Santeria, a syncretistic caribbean religion beliefs and practices.
City of hialeah certiorari to the united states court of appeals for the eleventh circuit no. The whole concept of magic under santeria falls under the category of sympathetic magic and there is no black magic in santeria. Santeria means way or honor of the saints and is mostly a spanish word, while voodoo has an african etymology and means moral fiber. Santeria is a synchretistic religion, blending elements of animism, roman catholicism, voodoo, andor traditional african polytheistic religions santeros believe that orishas are supernatural beings that emanate from olofi, the creator god of humankind and the saints. They added some catholic practices to the religion to please their masters but continued their own unbiblical practices, too. It is understood that the orishas wear many masks in order for people to better understand them.
Santeria is typical of what occurred so often in the coming together of different peoples with differing belief systemsthere was a combining of systems. Eshu elegbara, elegua, papa legba the gatekeeper, guardian of crossroads and doorways, and of course the first approached to get into the right mind to communicate with any other spirits. Difference between santeria and voodoo difference between. There are many orichas, but here are some that are considered important figures in the afrocuban pantheon. The santeria faith teaches that every individual has a destiny from god, a destiny fulfilled with the aid and energy of the orishas. Sep 02, 2005 the study of yoruba orisha religion and the various diasporic permutations of it has become a popular yet complex field to navigate. Santeria is a synchretistic religion, blending elements of animism, roman catholicism, voodoo, andor traditional african polytheistic religions.
Fagbemi john turpin who was initiated in nigeria as an ifa priest, in his lecture ifa. There is no central authority in control of the movement, which comprises. Sep 08, 2002 secrecy was once vital to the religion s survival. An informative overview and introduction, followed by an evaluation from a christian perspective. God is so great, and he is unrecognizable, and direct communication to the god is not possible. Catholicism is still considered the religion of the white ruling class hearn, 2008. The religion is an informative and insightful the resulting religion is known as santeria, a blend of primitive magic and catholicism now practiced by an estimated five million americans. He points out that here the beliefs and organizational structure of the yoruba religious system remain generally intact, even though they may incorporate other african roots and a veneer of catholicism. Candomble jegenago is a brazilian religion with some similarities to santeria. A religion of divination, magic, and animal sacrifice also as pdf by donald t. Basic beliefs of the religion of santeria in central america.
A few years later, however, a different decision was reached in a case involving the santeria religion, which practices animal sacrifice. Santeria customs include sacred drumming, animal sacrifice, and trancelike state that is used for communicating with their ancestors and deities. Slaves brought to cuba from nigeria and benin mixed their yoruba traditions with the roman. Santeria is one of the oldest and richest religious traditions born in the new world. Santeria the way of the saints is the religion s popular name. Those deities that form the foundation of the religion are obatala, oshun, yemaya or yemalla, oya, and chango or shango. The slaves brought it to cuba and the cubans brought it to the united. Women truly consolidated santeria s practices from the fragments of various tribal religious traditions into one cohesive religion. Santeria is a fusion of catholic practices and african folk beliefs. Santeria is an ancient religion with african roots.
That case stemmed from a city ordinance passed in hialeah, florida, after city leaders learned a santeria church was about. With santeria, all of the yoruba deities became indentified with catholic saints. For many elders in the lucumi religion, feast days of the catholic saints associated with the orishas were honored as days for that orisha in the year. The religion emphasizes the here and now rather than the afterlife, and it focuses on natural forces. A unique mixture of afrocuban religious rituals or. It arose through a process of syncretism between the traditional yoruba religion of west africa and the roman catholic form of christianity. Santeria is an afrocaribbean religion brought over to cuba by the slaves. Santeria is practiced throughout latin america and in the united states, but cuba is its birthplace. A brief discussion of the wisdom of odu obara meji. Santeria is one of the many religious traditions of the world which has love magic amongst its practices. Ernesto explored its beliefs and rituals and felt that his tendencies, his. Apr 23, 2020 santeria is one of the oldest and richest religious traditions born in the new world. Santeros santeria priests do not believe that the orishas and the saints are identical.
Common in haiti and new orleans, vodou merges catholic and african beliefs to form a unique set of rituals that include voodoo dolls and symbolic drawings. They rely on rituals and animal sacrifices to gain favor and help from their spirits, rather than on the sacrifice of christ and the saving grace of the one true god. The decline of womens power in santeria as the lucumi people were immersed in spanish colonial culture, there was a marked clash of values between their womencentered native culture, and malecentered cuban. The orishas are equated with a variety of catholic saints. Santeria includes the worship of the orisha literally head guardians, and religious beliefs of the yoruba and bantu people in southern nigeria, senegal and guinea coast. Jan 04, 2000 the religion, once largely unknown in the metropolitan area, venerates saints and incorporates a belief in divination, spirit possession and the sacrifice of animals to appease the gods. Followers of the religion have begun exchanging ideas, images, and ritual practices with both haitian vodou and brazilian candombl e, each sharing strong historical ties to yoruba religion.
Interestingly, santeria is one of the fastest growing religions in the united states. A fusion of catholicism and the indigenous african religion iba, santeria literally means the way of saints. Sep 15, 2009 santeria rituals allow human beings to stay in contact with the orishas. Fa, fa adegun, fa aeidegun fon master of destiny, keeper of fate. Santeria is a religion with a slightly complex history. Santeria is based upon the development of personal relationships through divination, sacrifice, initiation, and mediumship see medium between practitioners of the religion and the orisha deities, who provide their devotees with protection, wisdom, and success and who guide devotees in times of crisis. Santeria has no specific founder santeria has its roots in the slave trade africans from yoruba combination of cultures yoruba traditions combined with catholicism santeria the catholic santos yoruban deities called, orishas referred to as. This was a necessity when slaveowners refused to allow slaves to practice african religion.
Vodou or voodoo is a monotheistic religion that is often misunderstood. Santeria followers believe in none of the fundamental biblical truths of the christian faith. Due to my lack of knowledge about santeria and other afrocuban religions at the time, i. Santeria became then a mixture of yoruba religion with many of the traditions of the catholic church. They include dancing, drumming, speaking and eating with the spirits. There is a lot of misinterpration of yoruba religion, and its new world manifestations voudun, santeria, candomble etc. According to robinson 2009, santeria traces its roots to the early 16th century, during the peak of the transatlantic slave trade. Race and religion in cuba center on race and social. Santeria is a word used by others to describe the folk religions of africa. Although more than 400 deities exist, only 16 are actively worshipped. Jan 02, 2020 the santeria religion is a cult that christians would be wise to avoid.