Similar to ancient Greek gods, the orishas represent various forces of nature along with certain human characteristics-for example, Yemayá is the orisha of the sea and motherhood. Santería followers believe that one God created the universe and that the world is cared for by lesser divine beings known as orishas. In the house of a Santero, you might find statues of Catholic saints alongside orisha symbols. Practitioners attend Catholic mass and might even baptize their children, while also practicing forms of Lucumí in their home. They also don’t see contradictions between the two faiths. In the minds of many Cubans, the two religions parallel one another, rather than existing as one unified religion. The combining of concepts and terminology from different religions – in this case, from Catholicism and the Lucumí religion – is called religious syncretism. Not surprisingly, many people took this as a sign that God wanted Fidel to lead Cuba. Doves are symbols of Obatalá, the son of God in Santería. While Fidel was addressing the crowd, two doves flew over the podium, and one of them landed on his shoulder. That may be in part due to an auspicious event that happened during his victory speech on January 8, 1959. It’s estimated that up to 80 percent of the Cuban population follows some Santería practices.įidel Castro is even rumored to be a believer. In the 1980s, there was a resurgence of interest in Santería, and today it enjoys widespread appeal throughout much of Cuba. After the Revolution, Santería was openly acknowledged but was criticized by the government as being folksy witchcraft. As such, in Santería – the name means Way of the Saints – Catholic saints represent Yoruban divine beings, known as orishas.įor centuries, Santería – which is also known as the Regla de Ocha – was practiced in secret, and survived orally from one generation to another. The slaves were banned from practicing their own religion, so they disguised their gods as Catholic figures and continued to pray to them as they pleased. Slaves from West Africa were imported to Cuba in the 17th century, and they brought their religious tradition with them. Santería’s roots can be traced to the Lucumí religion, which was practiced by the Yoruba tribes of modern-day Benin and Nigeria.
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