Where is the Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre venerated in Cuba?

The yellow in the clothes and the sunflowers in the hand, are traditional symbols that indicate the arrival of September 8 and the celebration to Oshun and the Virgin. Faith and love for the Charity of Copper and the Orisha has found shelter not only in the sanctuaries, but in every religious home.

Oshún, the Yoruba goddess of Love and Rivers and Charity, the Patron of Cuba, are one of the most praised and respected deities by the Cuban people. Both are syncretized in the Yoruba religion, Afro-Cuban culture and Catholicism, as a single cult that proclaims them queens in the sweet waters of the world, and representatives of love and fertility.

Every 8th the deities celebrate their day, the Virgin of Caridad del Cobre is venerated in the Sanctuary and in the church, but also in the home and in nature, in rivers and springs, for her syncretism with the goddess Yoruba of love and rivers, Oshún.

Today, the situation of the world and of Cuba does not allow us to approach temples, churches and processions, we are in social isolation, but for this reason we must not distance ourselves from the faith, love and devotion of our deities.

Every year Cuba and the world dresses in yellow, and this will not be the exception, let us join forces from our homes in a single faith, and may sunflowers and flowers abound as an offering to Oshún and Caridad.

But… Every year where are the mothers of fresh waters venerated?

Visits to the Sanctuary of La Caridad del Cobre in Santiago de Cuba

Hundreds of people visit the Sanctuary of La Caridad del Cobre every September 8. The beautiful church, heritage of Cuba, is located at the top of Cerro de Maboa, 27 kilometers from the city of Santiago de Cuba and today a symbol of religion and identity of this Island.

To the virgin who is kept inside these walls, the devout Cubans of Africanism or Catholicism pray in the same way, as this is the Creole religion of Cuba.

Thousands of offerings of all kinds arrive at the Sanctuary of Caridad del Cobre. It is filled with white and yellow candles and sunflowers, thousands of flowers the place houses dedicated to the Virgin, in gratitude for listening to the supplications and for responding to the needs.

Believers also come to the Sanctuary of El Rincón

Also the Sanctuary of El Rincón in the Havana municipality of Boyeros, hundreds of devotees of the Caridad del Cobre and Oshún arrive.

And, although this sanctuary is dedicated mainly to Saint Lazarus, a saint healer of diseases, it also houses the Catholic images of the main saints worshiped by the people of Cuba.

For this reason, many devotees come with offerings and giant bouquets of sunflowers to leave them in front of the image of the Virgin of Charity of Copper. There they kneel and say prayers of thanks and seek his protection.

Venerate Oshún and Caridad del Cobre from home

But faith and love has spread and has found multiple ways to venerate the Virgin of Charity of Copper and the Orisha Oshún, also reaching each of the religious homes.

Today our houses shelter us with faith, they also dress in yellow to venerate our little mothers because faith lives in our hearts.

The Holy Orisha is invoked with prayers of gratitude and love, it is offered to her before the altars or in a small space dedicated to her so that she feels honored and honored together with her children and devotees.

Next to the altars or the representations of the saint, 5 sunflowers are offered to venerate her, a yellow or white candle is lit, which can bañasoak in honey and cinnamon, elements with great spiritual powers that belong to the orisha.

The fact is that one entertains her in his own way, but with faith, with flowers, candles, food offerings and any other element that our intuition and heart indicate. And so we pray to him for the well-being, the health of the world and we ask for his eternal blessing.

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