The head of the Santeria pantheon is Obatalá. It is said that when humans were created they were created without heads. Obatalá was given the task of fashioning heads for humanity, and thus became the father of humanity as well as the Orishas.
What are Santeria leaders called?
However, there is no central leadership. Santería is organised in a number of small groups or religious houses. Each house is led by a religious expert, either a babalawo (high priest), a santera (a female initiate) or a santero (a male initiate).
What is a Santeria priest called?
Santeria has a priesthood that includes both men and women. Priesthood involves training and initiation. The priest may be a babalorisha (Father in the Spirit) or iyalorisha (Mother or Wife in the Spirit). The Spanish words for these priests are santero or santera.
Who is the founder of Santeria?
Santeria was created in Cuba by the mingling of Yoruba traditions brought by enslaved Africans from Nigeria and Benin with the Roman Catholic faith of the Spanish plantation owners.
Who is the god of Santería?
Santería teaches the existence of an overarching divinity, known as Olodumare, Olofi, or Olorun. Practitioners believe that this divinity created the universe but takes little interest in human affairs. As this creator deity is inaccessible to humanity, no major offerings are dedicated to it.
22 related questions foundWho is the most powerful saint in Santería?
Ṣàngó is venerated in Santería as "Changó". As in the Yoruba religion, Changó is the most feared god in Santería. In Haïti, he is from the "Nago" Nation, and is known as Ogou Chango.
When was Santería banned?
“So, in order to maintain their religion, they did a syncretism where they blend the Spanish saints with the African saints.” Immediately following the 1959 revolution and into the 1990s, religion was banned in Cuba.
Is Santería and Ifa the same?
Ifa gives greater access to all the Orisha; Santeria links a follower predominantly with one. Santeria is rife with Catholic influences; Ifa makes no such concessions. Many view Ifa as the deepest form of divination in Santeria, and the highest form of expression within Orisha worship.
Does Santería believe in the afterlife?
They are drawn to Santeria, sometimes called Lukumi, for a host of reasons. The religion emphasizes the here and now rather than the afterlife, and it focuses on natural forces. Each deity represents an aspect of nature, like thunder, and a human characteristic, like power.
Is Santería a Catholic?
Santeria combines elements of Catholicism with the Yoruba religion and many Cubans identify with both traditions and their ceremonies. The Church has been tolerant of Santeria but remains wary. The Vatican does not recognize Santeria as a religion and Francis has no events scheduled with practitioners.
Is Santería a Yoruba?
Santeria (Way of the Saints) is an Afro-Caribbean religion based on Yoruba beliefs and traditions, with some Roman Catholic elements added. The religion is also known as La Regla Lucumi and the Rule of Osha. Santeria is a syncretic religion that grew out of the slave trade in Cuba.
What is Santería known for?
Santería 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.
What are the 7 orishas?
Another common initiation is the intitiation into the Seven African Powers (Elegua, Obatala, Oggun, Chango, Yemaya, Oshun, and Orunmilla).
What does Yemaya represent?
Yemaya is a Yorubian Orisha, or Goddess of the Ocean who is the mother of all. She is the source of the water that gives life in West Africa. She is a protection Goddess and also presides over fertility and creation. Yemaya is a fierce protector of women.
How do you become Ifa?
How do you become an IFA? In order to become an IFA, you first need to complete a Level 4 Diploma for Financial Advisers (DipFA). This qualification is made up of two units, with the first being based on financial services regulation ethics and the second focusing on advanced financial advice.
What is the oldest religion?
It is the world's third-largest religion, with over 1.2 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global population, known as Hindus. The word Hindu is an exonym, and while Hinduism has been called the oldest religion in the world, many practitioners refer to their religion as Sanātana Dharma (Sanskrit: सनातन धर्म, lit.
What is a babalawo in Santeria?
A babalawo is a Santeria priest who acts as a medium channeling the prophecy from the Orishas. Orishas are spirits who are a manifestation of the supreme God Olodumare.
Who does Santería worship?
Santeria incorporates the worship of the Orisha (literally "head guardian") and beliefs of the Yoruba and Bantu people in Southern Nigeria, Senegal and Guinea Coast by synchronizing these African cultures and religions with the surrounding elements of worship from Roman Catholicism.
What animals do Santería sacrifice?
Santería religion uses animal sacrifice
They cut the throats of chickens, goats, sheep, or turtles, which are often eaten later as part of religious ceremonies involving weddings, births, and deaths.
Who was Shango favorite wife?
American folklorist William Bascom notes: “Oya is the favourite wife of Shango, the only wife who remained true to him until the end, leaving Oyo with him and becoming a deity when he did. She is Goddess of the Niger River, (Odo Oya), but she manifests herself as the strong wind that precedes a thunderstorm.”
Who are the warriors in Santería?
Ochosi, together with the santos Elegguá, Oggún and Osun are the warriors of Santería and the first four santos you receive upon initiation.
Who is Yemaya?
Often depicted as a queenly mermaid, Yemaya is considered the Ocean Mother Goddess in Santería, an Afro-Caribbean religion practiced around the world. With anchored roots in the Yoruba religion, Yemaya was brought over to the New World by enslaved Africans as early as the 16th century.
Does Santería believe Jesus?
Santeria practitioners also believe in the Christian Jesus Christ known as Olofi. Orisa, also spelled Orisha or Yemaya, a Santeria saint known as the mother to all Orisas She is thought to be a protector of women and is likened to Christianity's Virgin Mary.
What are the core beliefs of Santería?
The Santeria faith teaches that every individual has a destiny from God, a destiny fulfilled with the aid and energy of the orishas. The basis of the Santeria religion is the nurture of a personal relation with the orishas, and one of the principal forms of devotion is an animal sacrifice.
