Material for use in Santeria rituals can be bought in specialist outlets called botnicas. Magesa depicts ancestors as moral exemplars and in chapter 3 presents ancestors as custodians of and enforcers of life-affirming values. One can also study comparative religious chronology through a . ", Ray, Benjamin. Such restless and wondering spirits are said to haunt and afflict the living as they try to gain their attention. Santeria is based on Yoruba beliefs, while Voodoo is based on Fon and Ewe beliefs. Given this worldview, Africans see the hereafter as intimately linked with the here and now. Doctrinally, to ban ancestral veneration, then, is to demand that Africans abandon this quite viable notion of family (Ela, 1990, p. 17). Some of the most popular orishas include: It is estimated that about a million or so Americans currently practice Santeria, but it's hard to determine whether this count is accurate or not. Failure to perform burial rites properly makes the deceased unable to negotiate the postmortem phase of the life journey successfully. Santera is a Spanish word meaning "The Way of the Saints.". . 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. The world below was the opposite of the world above, since it lacked in beauty and prosperity. Gundani and Ongonga also discuss, respectively, the rituals of Kurova Guva and Duogo, which are rituals of reintegrating the deceased and confirming their status as ancestors or the living dead. There are many clear differences between these two religions. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. What can we do for our departed loved ones? As a result of these ceremonial exchanges, the oracle often determines that one particular orisha has claimed the devotee as its child. Orishas are also nourished by other forms of worship and praise. In a landmark 1993 case, the Church of Lakumi Babalu Aye successfully sued the city of Hialeah, Florida. Under the Yoruba babalawo, the Catholic calendar was wisely utilized for the veneration of African saints. As this creator deity is inaccessible to humanity, no major offerings are dedicated to it. "Afterlife: African Concepts Oya is a warrior, and the guardian of the dead. Santeria and Voodoo were both presented in the Western Hemisphere by slaves from North Africa, most likely Nigeria. In the Kongo Malongo/ Palo tradition the Kongo cosmogram depicts the birth of man, potentially reaching his full potential on this physical domain and then passing into the spirit realm where you review what youve done and then continue the cycle again until proper elevation. Given this integral relationship between the outer and inner person, then, it would seem that at death it is the person that dies rather than "the soul" leaving the body and flying away, as some Christian popular hymns indicate. It is popularly known as Lucumi in Cuba where traditions are maintained by Lucumi priests and priestesses who were slaves during the end of the 18th and early 19th centuries. "Afterlife: African Concepts Devotees see the Orisha tradition as a world religion and have received public recognition of their spiritual achievements. Thus, for example, among the Swazi, burial of the dead is only done after three days. 2019Encyclopedia.com | All rights reserved. we worship the orisha and honor our ancestors. Mosha, Sambuli. This ritual involves throwing an ekwele, a chain of 8 shaped pieces. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. The animals are killed by cutting the carotid arteries with a single knife stroke in a similar way to other religious methods of slaughter. Read More On Ressurecting EgregoresContinue. We believe in reincarnation. De La Torre traces the roots of Santeria to the Yoruba people of Africa, who were brought from Africa to colonial Cuba as slaves and forced to embrace Catholicism. In Santeria, sacrifices to deities are made by initiates at least once per year. Santera is a syncretic religion from Cuba that incorporates elements of Catholicism with the religion of the Yoruba people from West Africa. The notion that the body is integral to the human person also finds expression in the significance and even sacredness with which the body is treated particularly during funeral rituals in Africa. Nairobi, Kenya, 1971. Santeria, a religion created several centuries ago by West Africans enslaved in colonial Cuba and imported to New York City more than 40 years ago, is going public. . Discusses indigenous African religions as ethical systems and links belief in and veneration of ancestors to these systems. Two thousand years later, these Egyptian ideas of the hereafter were part of the repertoire of beliefs in circulation in the Mediterranean world as Christianity was taking shape. Hindus believe that when someone dies, he or she is born into a different body largely determined by his or her previous life. The Roman Catholic element in Santeria is most obvious in the way Orishas are associated with Catholic Saints such as: Followers of Santeria are often (nominal) Roman Catholics as well. Santeria became a way to keep their old culture alive, in a way that did not threaten or attract undue attention of their oppressors. We even consult the Babalawos in heaven and either do or dont do Ebo. The History of a Year and a Day in Paganism. Here, they reinforced prior indigenous concepts of the afterlife where these already incorporated notions of a final judgment, as in the case of the Yoruba of Nigeria and LoDagaa of Ghana (Ray, 1976, pp. Conversely, those who fail in their worldly obligations, or those whose actions are subversive to rather than nurturing of life, are quickly forgotten and "excommunicated" after death. A monograph on the beliefs and cultural system of the Agikuyu of Kenya. Santeria has the basic features and traditions of an ancient African religion practiced among the Yoruba in Nigeria. If we tried to live in harmony with our Ori and the world around us, we didn't destroy the planet or harm other people, our energy gets "recycled" for lack of a better word back into the universe so we can continue to be a part of the physical world. Initially, human beings lived close to the sky and were therefore near enough to the world above to enjoy its benefits without struggle and labor. The masters of Santeria are mostly located in Cuba, although it is now being practiced by individuals of various nationalities. The SM Otieno Case: Death and Burial in Modern Kenya. One of the most basic features of Santeria is the orishas. Dressed in a loose white gauze shirt, white pants and white hat, the red-bearded drummer Babaila taps out the same beat he has played for 35 years. This is reminiscent of rituals of communion with the deceased through shared meals and libations. Like many religions, Santeria also offers community. Whereas in the past the hope was to attain personal immortality as a Living-Dead and to enjoy a status of honor among the ancestors, Christianized Africans look forward instead to joining an otherworldly/heavenly community of God and angels as defined in the Christian discourse. In Voodoo, Oungan is consulted but he may often send his clients to medical professionals. It is an amalgamation between the orthodox Yoruba religion in West Africa and Catholicism. Santeria (The way of the Saints) is an Afro-Caribbean religion based on Yoruba beliefs and traditions, with some Roman Catholic elements added. They are marred with dark mystery due to the secrecy that guards these esoteric segments of their practice. They are shaped and influenced by other belief systems that they encounter in history. Oosthuizen, G. C., and Irving Hexham, eds. Followers believe that these spirits will give them help in life, if they carry out the appropriate rituals, and enable them to achieve the destiny planned for them before they were born. The True Story Behind Santeria, Academia - Santeria: An Afro-Cuban religion, Santera - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). One enjoys this status so long as there are people left behind to remember him or her. Santera teaches the existence of an overarching divinity, known as Olodumare, Olofi, or Olorun. It is practiced differently in rural and urban areas and also in Haiti and other locations such as New Orleans, a very popular center. Im not sure I ever heard of bad heaven outside of one book by a missionary, so I dont necessarily prescribe to it. Historically, Africa is heir to a triple heritage of religion and culture: namely African traditional religions, Islam, and Christianity. That a person is considered a composite and integral whole is also evident in that often, when people claim to encounter the dead through visions and dreams or when they communicate with them through ritual, they claim to have met or spoken with "so and so," a person identifiable by name, rather than the "ghost" of so and so. According to Mbiti (1969, p. 158), this continued remembrance of the Living-Dead and their sustained interaction with the living constitutes the individual's "personal immortality." Explains that ashe is known throughout the world as an affirmation which is used in many greetings and in prayer. Drawing examples from across the continent, Mbiti offers a systematic account of African beliefs. To some extent, Santeria includes magical practice, although this magical system is based upon interaction with and understanding of the orishas. Mosha contextualizes this education within the African theistic worldview with its emphasis on wholeness and interconnectedness of life as well its unfolding nature. The Spanish words for these priests are santero or santera. Although Santeria is a religious path that is not rooted in Indo-European polytheism like many other contemporary Pagan religions, it's still a faith that is practiced by many thousands of people in the United States and other countries today. Santeria combines influences of Caribbean tradition, West Africa's Yoruba spirituality, and elements of Catholicism. 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