Eleguá What colors represent the Orisha in Santeria? Its meaning

Did you know that the colors Red and black represent Eleguá?

They say that by adding red and black, two opposite points are mixed. That combination rules life and death, the beginning and the end, joy and sadness, as well as Elegua and Eshu symbolize the eternal balance between good and evil in the Rule of Osha-Ifá.

And it is that Elegua is the orisha that opens and closes all the paths to humanity in the Osha-Ifá Rule, a branch of the Yoruba religion.

He is the divider of heaven and earth, he can be a mighty warrior, but he is also a childish orisha in some ways, who loves to play tricks and tests man's faith.

Choosing a path, if you are successful and it is correct, Elegua will open the door to happiness and fortune, but if you take the wrong one, he will close the doors to peace and well-being.

These two sides of existence, which should always be balanced, are represented by the combination of red and black, the colors of Eleguá in Santería.

balanced tones What is the meaning of both colors?

Red for Elegguá It is the color that represents your mischievous, happy and jovial side. It is a symbol of life and good vibes.

The blackInstead, it symbolizes mysticism and death, secrets and mistakes.

Combined in the figure of Elegua, these tones denote very different sides of the orisha's own existence in the Yoruba pantheon, let's see more of their meanings.

Red and its meaning: The intensity of life itself

In the Yoruba religion, red is a powerful color, it is related to Elegua and also to Shangó, a brave orisha who owns fire and passion.

For this reason, many times the color of the candle that we choose to invoke Eleguá is red, although we can also venerate it with a white candle or a homemade wick.

let's meet now some of the spiritual meanings of this particular color, both in religion and in spirituality.

Trust. The security, power and energy of red symbolize Eleguá's confidence in his strength.
Lifespan. Red represents blood and as such life itself. The most special for the existence of the human being.
Intensity. It represents energy and action, fire, intensity, impulsiveness, power and sexuality.
The good. Red is a symbol of good energy, it inspires, stimulates, warms, awakens, intensifies vitality and the will to live.
Joy. The intense vibration of red plays with the childish image of Elegua.

It is the color of the joy of life, of vital force, of that energy that can be both constructive and destructive. It is the symbol of powerful inner strength.

Black, the power of the ancestral:

Death. Just as red is blood and life, black is night and death. A balance between two powerful lines of human existence.
Dignity and prestige. Black symbolizes immense power and ancient wisdom, ancient knowledge and its eternity, the mysterious and hidden.
Invincibility. The power of the Orisha of the roads over human destiny makes him invincible, a quality that is symbolized by black, the tone that absorbs any other color.
The danger and the forbidden. By mixing red and black we can represent danger and the forbidden, both elements that Elegua gropes in the life of his faithful devotees.
The tragic and evil. Black symbolizes low instincts, dangerous passions, conspiracy to commit crimes, bad thoughts and feelings.

Analyzing both colors together, as we can see appreciating their meanings, they represent a powerful duality, the same dualism that defines the warrior orisha Elegua within the Yoruba Pantheon.