Today, Cuban streets are an intense hotbed of cultural mixes and religious expressions.
The most common is to glimpse people dressed completely in white, others wearing bracelets and necklaces of dissimilar colors representing the Orishas of the Yoruba religion.
It is not uncommon that, on the eve of December 17, many wear purple and skirts or sack pants in salute to Babalu Aye, and that they come to the church without shoes or loaded with offerings to thank him and implore him for blessings.
Those are, expressions of Santería, Also called Lucumi cult, Ifá rule o Rule of Ocha, a cult of the Afro-Cuban culture, left by the African slaves of the colonial era.
Their beliefs derive directly from the Yoruba culture and religion, which in Cuba were syncretized with Catholic Christianity.
Afro-Cuban and Santeria culture
Currently the main religions in Cuba are the Catholic religion and the Yoruba, both with touches of the African religion.
And the Santería It began to be practiced by African slaves in colonial times, a cult that spread throughout Cuba and then to other colonies in the Caribbean such as Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela or Panama.
Today the Santería it is a common religious practice in Cuba and other Caribbean countries. It combines animistic and pantheistic aspects with ancestor worship and Catholicism and through it the gods of the Yoruba pantheon are syncretized with the Catholic saints.
It contains a large number of myths, tales or legends called Stream, which show the ceremonies and customs of more than 400 deities.
However, the best known are Obatala, Oshun, Yemaya, Oyá, Monkey and the Warriors: Elegua, Oggun, ochosi y Osun.
Religious practice, worship and faith
La Santería It is a divinatory religion that practices magic in multiple streams of energy.
It is governed by the worship of Constitution, the Almighty God and the Supreme Being, and the Orishas present in the forces of nature.
Through devotion to them, the believer or practitioner is promised protection, well-being, health, influence, etc.
One of the very important aspects of Santería, is the worship and veneration of the ancestors.
They should be prayed to eggunes, attend them and ask for their protection. Every santera ceremony begins with a bow to the dead, asking for their advice.
Today, this call Afro-Cuban religion It is widely practiced in Cuba and is a symbol of faith and national identity.
How to protect yourself from the Santeros and Santeria? You must know this.
Do Santeria jobs really work?
