The gourd, ancestral and sacred object

How many times have we not seen the sacred gourds in numerous Yoruba ceremonies? And it is that it is an ancestral object with innumerable uses in rituals santeros, and it is also an exponent of many other beliefs, as it has been used for spiritual purposes for hundreds of years.

In fact, in some cultures it was known as toruma and it was an excellent kitchen tool to serve coffee or chocolate.

In the Yoruba cult, gourds They were the original tureens in which the Orishas were born, an ancestral symbol of humility and faith.  

La gourd, is made from the Güiro tree, the fruit named Güira. This is left to dry and is cut in half for different uses, including being used as a vessel. It has a dark color and its bark is very resistant. The awos call him ibba.

And as we explained, it is not only a handmade instrument of adornment, but it fulfills many functions within the different religions, and holds great spiritual significance.

The gourd and its uses spiritual

Within religion the gourd It was used for various purposes and in many rituals, such as giving omituto in ceremonies such as: the Tefa de Orula, the settlement, the abo faca, and even for a simple consultation with the ekuele or diloggún oracles.

In it you drink water or brandy and it is used to communicate with the Orishas or Eggunes.

The babalawos use them when they consult the oracles and place their instruments of divination within them. The gourds they are also included in any Palero ritual.

Patakí de Orula and the ibba

The Pataki says that in the sacred land of Ife, Orula walked among the vegetation of the mountain where he found a güira and a large river.

The sage Orunmila observed the güira and advised her that she should do ebbó, only then could she survive from her fall into the river.

The proud güira ignored the wise man and without taking into account that Orula's word never falls to the groundShe answered no, that where she lived she was comfortable, to which Orula shrugged her shoulders and continued walking.

The sage found himself at ibba and he advised him the same, but ibba did heed and he did ebbó, and just as the counselor told him, he cut himself in half.

Days later a great storm broke out, then the ibba that ebbó had made began to float on the mighty and flooded river, while the güira fell without floating to the bottom of the river.

That is why if a güira is thrown into the water it will always go to the bottom, while if it is chopped and made ibba will float. Orunmila has since appointed the ibba as the bearer of water and in her, according to legend, all the orishas are born.

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