Orisha Oko is a saint revered in the Yoruba PantheonIts name means Orisha del Labrado, it is considered the direct incarnation of the land and fertility, it is in charge of providing work to men and thus ensuring the sustenance of the home.
You are asked to obtain job stability and strength in life by providing through agricultural activities the food necessary for the subsistence of humanity.
Where does Orisha Oko live?
The essence of this deity resides in the cultivated lands and in the sown fields.
It lives in a frying pan, with two coconuts, two stones or otas, a farmer, a gang of oxen, a tile, a small clay jar among other elements, which are placed on tilled earth, which is previously deposited inside its receptacle.
Its saints representation can live in the open air, being beneficial for it to receive rainwater, sun and serene because these are the components that make the earth germinate.
Religious syncretism
In the Yoruba Pantheon, Orisha Oko is syncretized with Saint Isidore the Laborer, patron of farmers and in charge of tilling the Earth.
Its festival is celebrated every year on May 15.
He is a very venerated saint in the Catholic Religion, so much so that it is very common to hear the following prayer in bad weather days:
San Isidro el Labrador takes away the rain and may the Sun reign.
The Orisha judge of the Yoruba Pantheon
This arbitrary deity intervenes in the disputes of the omnipotences of the African holy temple.
He is a dedicated worker and a great confidant of those who ask for his help.
Orisha oko in the Yoruba religion it is responsible for the rains and the animals used to plow the field.
Its messengers are known to be the bees through which it sends messages to the human race.
His children are discreet and industrious, responsible, they do not like excesses and their motto in life is respect and sacrifice, above all.
Avatars of the Saint Labrador
While the sun is at its zenith, the deity rules the crops and accompanies the work of the farmers, when the sun sets and the moon reigns over the sky Orisha oko it disguises itself as death and prowls around the countryside.
This receives the corpses of the deceased when the grave is opened and they descend into the earth.
How to attend to this deity of Osha?
For generations, the tribes have honored Mother Earth through rituals to bless the harvest, going as far as sacrificing human beings for this purpose.
All religious should treat this deity with respect because it represents the soil in which we live, the place from which we feed and the destination of eternal rest for all living elements.
Offerings for Orisha Oko
Among its offerings we can mention all the harvested fruits such as melon, guava, mango, plum, grapes, sugar apple and tamarind to name a few.
Orisha Oko is also offered sweet potatoes, beans, yams, rice, taro, corn and all kinds of dried meat, some animals are sacrificed in her name.
Ewes or herbs of the Saint
The bibijagua and the bell are two of its representative herbs, the liana, the sweet potato, the jiba, the yam, the peony and the custard apple also belong to it.
These are helpful in performing their spells.
Beautiful representation and prayer dedicated to Orisha Oko in his day
10 Characteristics and secrets of Orisha Oko in the Osha-Ifá Rule
