Establishing communication with the soul of the deceased is the basis of spiritualist beliefs that also nourish the Cuban identity.
Spiritism is the way to praise and worship those beings who have already left the earthly plane, in addition to proclaiming reincarnation and the different lives that a soul can have.
Spiritism arose in the world as a doctrine originated in France in the mid-nineteenth century, whose maximum exponent has been Allan Kardec and that established as principles the immortality of the soul and devotion to the spirits.
The practitioners also claimed to know the future of humanity, according to the teaching of superior spirits communicated through various mediums.
And it was the aspect of Cordón Spiritism or Orilé Spiritism, the most Cuban variant of Spiritism, very popular in the eastern Cuban area, especially in the areas of Manzanillo, Bayamo and Holguín, and to a lesser extent in Santiago and Guantánamo.
However, it should be mentioned that the term Cordoneros de Orilé or "Cordoneros de Orilé spiritualism" seems to have been created by Fernando Ortiz.
Cordón Spiritism and the secrets it hides ...
Cordon Spiritism It owes its name to believers standing in a circle and holding hands and walking and dancing to the rhythm of specific songs of belief and tapping.
The objective of this is to unite the physical forces of the members of the "cord" and concentrate them in one point to communicate with the spiritual forces.
Then the Cordón or Orilé Spiritism It is one that mixes elements of Scientific Spiritism, Catholicism and to a lesser extent religions of African origin, although its cult is full of mysteries, it is said that it was adopted at the very beginning of the Ten Years' War, by a mostly rural population .
This religious aspect became so popular at the time because it was proclaimed a healing dimension.
And with a very scarce health system in the Cuban countryside in the mid-nineteenth century, many were those who joined this spiritist expression for the sake of obtaining improvements in terms of health, but also in terms of work, love and economy.
Although there are several studies on the secrets that the term "orilé, olilé or oringé" contains, it is believed that it was born from their songs, in which they repeat choruses with that word whose pronunciation is not precise and which still has an unknown meaning.
Orilé Spiritism, religious practice full of faith and mysticism
In the hierarchy of Cordón or Orilé SpiritismThe central element is the medium or the person who communicates directly with the spirits and directs the houses and temples. They are also the ones who organize the cordoneras activities.
The ceremonies of this aspect can take place at any time or day of the week, many times they meet to help heal the illness of a devotee.
These ceremonies include prayers, invocations, prayers and songs, which can even have African details and overtones of North American music etc.
The prayers and prayers in the form of songs are structured according to the question and answer scheme between the medium and the participants of the cordon.
Monte Oscuro, a small rural community located near Bayamo, in eastern Cuba, is also known because it keeps alive the tradition of the cordoneros of Orilé, as can be seen in the following video.
