How was Yemaya and the legend of the Virgin of Regla born?

The syncretism of Yemayá and the Virgin of Regla in Santeria It began in the colony, when the Spanish Catholics celebrated it by singing Christmas carols and the African slaves praised it with drumbeats and offerings. This is how our ancestors worshiped both deities in a single faith.

Two deities in the force of the waters

The Blessed Virgin of Regla is the mother of God, protector of the bay, it is said that she resides on its shore, taking care of her faithful, she is merciful, protects and covers with her blue mantle all children who need it.

Yemaya in the Yoruba religion She is the mother of all the Orishas, the sea is her kingdom and her temple and the waves take her to her children, and thus the saint and the orisha dance in a single sea of faith that intertwines beliefs.

The Yoruba Story of Yemayá, the Goddess of the Sea yoruba

Yemaya, Mother of the World, is said to be the sea itself. She is the calm and brilliant tide that reflects the sun, but also the waves that roar dark from the discharge of the storm.

At the beginning, in the world there was only fire and burning rocks, but the creator, Olofin, wanted the world to exist and turned the vapor of the flames into clouds. Thus, the fire gradually gave way, giving way to the earth.

The water came down from the clouds and formed between the rocks Olokun, the mysterious Ocean who everyone fears. Then the sea arose in the veins of the earth, so that life could spread.

This is how Yemaya, the Mother of the Waters, was born., the one that spins like the waves and spins like the whirlpools of the ocean, the one that gives snails, algae and fish to her children, the one that blesses the earth and defends her faithful.

The Story of the Blessed Virgin of Regla

Around 1660 it was erected in the hamlet of Regla, in Cuba, on the land of the Guaicamar sugar mill, a bohío that housed an image of the Virgen de la Regla de San Agustín.

It is said that Bishop Saint Augustine "The African" had a revelation from an angel who ordered him to carve a wooden figure of the Virgin and place it in his oratory. He called her the Virgin of Regla and after his death, a disciple named Cyprian embarked with the image on a ship bound for the coasts of Spain.

This is how the legend was born that says that despite a storm that surprised them in the middle of the Strait of Gibraltar, neither Cipriano nor the boat sank, which was considered a miracle by sailors and fishermen.

the legendary virgin was considered over the years, patroness and protector of all sailors. Thus, Juan Martín de Coyendo decided to build a hermitage for her in a Havana town kissed by the sea.

A Regla, in 1664, a new image of the Virgin arrived in Havana, brought by the sergeant major, Don Pedro de Aranda and was installed in the hermitage. December 23, 1714 the Virgin of Regla was proclaimed patron saint of the bay.

And until today the Yoruba goddess and the Catholic saint are venerated under the same faith, witness to the Afro-Cuban religiosity that fills each day with love. September 8, the day on which her feast day takes place. It is interesting to know where the stories come from, how the faith has grown since then and the great power that accompanies these beautiful mothers.