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Cultural Connections in Cuba

                     Santeria or "the way of the saints" in Spanish, is a religion widely practiced in Cuba. Santeria has two other names, one is La Regla de Ocha or "the order of the Orishas" in Spanish, and two La Religion Lucumi or " the order of Lucumi". Santeria is the most common name given to the religion because of the tradition of African origin. The origin was developed in Cuba and spread to Latin America and the United States. 

This religion is made up of African, animist, and Christian beliefs. The priests are known as babalawos and they act as intermediaries. They interpret the will of gods using divination. The interpretation involves an elaborate ceremony that often includes rum, drums, cigars, and animal sacrifice. For the ceremony the priests dress in white. In the video the lady wants protection from men who will harm her. In this particular scenario it is the god of creation who divines. The priests then throw sliced coconuts on the ground and the interpretation varies depending on which way they land. The supreme god decides if sacrifice is made. If sacrifice is made, a cockerel is beheaded as an offering. The narrator states "Its bloody death may take one life but it serves to feed a new one full of energy based on spiritual protection". "All this happens within the supernatural order of hidden forces and magic Santeria".

Cubans have had the freedom to practice Santeria since 1992. Santeria is also characterized by home rituals, a connection to nature, and physical offerings to saints. There was a woman who threw a cake in a body of water two days after mother's day. This act was her offering her cake to the Orisha- or saint- yemaya, who Santeria practitioners believe protects the sea. The cake was decorated blue and white and the supportive group that attended were also dressed in those colors. Blue and white are said to be yemaya's signature colors. Spanish Catholicism and the Orisha-centered religion of the West African Yoruba tradition belief systems are combined. Each Orisha has a catholic saint counterpart, and Santeria practitioners must be baptized catholic. Despite the differences in the two religions, this syncretism has sustained. Santeria was born out of necessity for the people of the Yoruba tradition who were brought to Cuba as slaves. To maintain their religion, Africans living on the island prayed in secret by superimposing their Orishas on catholic saints.


REFERENCES
Cuban Santeria Tradition and Practices, www.anywhere.com/cuba/travel-guide/santeria.

Merten, Paxtyn, and — Jul 31. In Cuba, SANTERÍA Flourishes Two Decades after Ban Was Lifted. 25 July 2019, thegroundtruthproject.org/cuba-santeria-catholicism-religion-flourish-two-decades-freedom-granted/.

PlanetDocChannel, director. Santeria (Regla De Ocha) Documentary. YouTube, YouTube, 9 July 2015, www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXju_q5WmZ0.

Comments

  1. Dylan D'AmatoApril 4, 2021 at 3:15 PM

    The page has proper spelling with few grammar errors. The page includes properly integrated pictures and the text is divided into smaller paragraphs. The page goes into good detail about the culture of Cuba.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Darion MaloneApril 7, 2021 at 6:32 PM

    The page is very in depth. You go through all the aspects of the religion in great detail. The pictures fit well with what you are saying. I like how you talked about the background of the religion and where it came from, what it meant, and what it was specifically to the Cuban people.

    ReplyDelete

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