Where is santeria found in latin america

Each ceremony incorporates song, dance, spirit possession, and animal sacrifice. Considered an exclusively Cuban tradition, this religion has spread to Venezuela, Mexico, and the United States. Almost every ceremony starts by requesting his permission to continue. The religion also has a lot of prominent female orishas. One of them is the very well-known Yemaja, a goddess associated with maternity, fertility, and the sea. Practitioners ask protection from their orichas by making offerings, sponsoring ceremonies, and by communicating with them through divination, prayers, dreams, music, and dance.

Once they receive messages through these activities the santeros and santeras use the information to make decisions about their job, residence, or behavior. Although each term is different, these houses are usually the personal home of a santero or santera.

Each room of the house is dedicated to a different rite; some areas are private, while others like the patio can be used for public occasions, including animal sacrifices. The resguardo protective charms is created using herbs and blood, as well as sacred stones.

Similarly, swindlers abound in this religion, and many santeros and santeras have been accused of exploiting other people financially. About Us Contributors Contact Us. It is energy; breath, life force and we cannot exist without it. Ashe gives us the power to create and the wisdom to see things through. Without Ashe there is no life. The second is Iwa Pele , which means good or gentle character.

For Santeria followers, initiated as priests or not, It is important to grasp the meaning and entity of Iwa Pele. Living with good grace is what gives us a purpose in life. As spiritual beings we are responsible for living the best life that we have been blessed with. Our life's work should be to evolve and to analyse our faults and improve upon them. It is important to strive to be a better person, a person with good character. By doing this one can change the energy flow around us.

A title such as Babalawo , or Santero , means little, if that individual cannot show that they live and understand the concept of Iwa Pele. Santeria is not witchcraft Many people are fearful of religions such as Santeria and Vodun since they equate the religion with practices of Witchcraft.

Santeria is not Witchcraft. It is not the study of spells or using spells to harm or affect anyone else. Anyone who thinks that Santeria can be used to keep a girlfriend, harm an enemy or win the lottery has not understood the principals of Santeria and is misguided. Santeria is about living the life that has been assigned to you the best way you possibly can.

Followers of Santeria may use various tools to protect themselves such as spiritual baths or the wearing of sacred Necklaces. They may use various herbs to cleanse or protect, or they may make offerings to their ancestors or to Orisha. That does not equate with Witchcraft. Much has been made about Animal Sacrifice in the Santeria religion. Offerings to an Orisha may include a glass of water, flowers, a candle, fruit or prepared items of food.

More often than not a reading will recommend behavior modification or suggestions for improving ones behavior. It is rare that an animal would be marked for Sacrifice. However it is a part of the practice of Santeria. There is nothing cruel about the sacrifices and more likely than not the animal is eaten and not thrown away. The animal is slaughtered in the same way that animals are slaughtered in Jewish and Moslem practice for Halal or Kosher meat.

Prayers accompany the sacrifice and more often than not, those attending the ceremony eat the animal. A Santeros house is their temple In general Santeros do not have a Church or a place of workshop as such. Their houses are their temples. They do not have anything such as a bible and commandments but each Santero has their own personal advice from the Orisha that they should follow.

They use systems of Divination as their guides and they also look to the ancestors for help and guidance. The stories and moral tales that derive from the Divination systems were passed down orally, but there are also now books that tell them. There are songs that accompany every single ceremony…. The ceremony is public and anyone can come in, although the uninitiated have to be at the back and not approach the drums.

Everyone can sing the songs though and it is important that everyone sings in order to build up the energy. A tambor is a ceremony that involves the bringing down of Orisha. The initiated priests become vessels for the Orisha to inhabit for a short time, in order to impart their knowledge and positive advise to all that partake in the ceremony. There are many cultural projects these days that have explored the tradition of Orisha Song, however they are cultural interpretations and although the rhythms are the same, the drums are not consecrated.

Hispanic American Historical Review 55 1 : Issue Section:. Volume 55, Issue 1. Previous Article Next Article. View Metrics. Citing articles via Google Scholar. Email alerts Latest Issue. Nontranscendental Transnationalism. Related Topics santeria. Introduction Repetition and Magic. Duke University Press W.