A Santería ceremony known as "Cajón de Muertos". Havana, Cuba, 2011. Santería, aso known as Regla de Ochá or La Regla de Lucumí ,!1 !2 !2 #s #s a syncret#c re#$#on o% re#$#on o%
Car#bbean or#$#n wc& deveo'ed #n t&e S'an#s& (m'#re amon$ Car#bbean or#$#n (m'#re amon$ )est A%r#can saves. Santería #s #n%uenced by and syncret#*ed w#t& +oman Cat&o#c#sm. Cat&o#c#sm . ts #tur$#ca an$ua$e, an$ua$e , a d#aect o% -oruba -oruba,, #s aso known as ucumí ucumí..
Contents •
1 H#story
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2 +#tuas and ceremon#es •
2.1 /bta#n#n$ t&e eekes
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2.2 Med#o As#ento
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2. os uerreros
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2. As#ento
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2.3 4ost5#n#t#tat#on
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2.6 Cer$y
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ucumí trad#t#ona &ea#n$ 'ract#ces
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Current d#str#but#on
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3 Controversy
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6 See aso
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7 +e%erences
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8 9urt&er read#n$
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: (;terna #nks
History Santería #s a system o% be#e%s t&at mer$es t&e -oruba myt&oo$y m yt&oo$y brou$&t brou$&t to t&e 'on #ts arr#va #n t&e Amer#cas, ts re#$#ous trad#t#on evoved #nto w&at we now reco$n#*e as Santería. =&e coon#a 'er#od %rom t&e stand'o#nt o% A%r#can saves may be de%#ned as a t#me o% 'erseverance. =&e#r word ?u#cky c&an$ed. =r#ba k#n$s and t&e#r %am##es, 'o#t#c#ans, bus#ness and commun#ty eaders a were ensaved and taken to a %ore#$n re$#on o% t&e word. +e#$#ous eaders, t&e#r reat#ves and t&e#r %oowers were now saves. Coon#a aws cr#m#na#*ed t&e#r re#$#on. =&ey were %orced to become ba't#*ed and wors' a $od t&e#r ancestors &ad not known w&o was surrounded by a 'ant&eon o% sa#nts. =&e eary concerns
dur#n$ ts 'er#od seem to &ave necess#tated a need %or #nd#v#dua surv#va under &ars& 'antat#on cond#t#ons. A sense o% &o'e was susta#n#n$ t&e #nterna essence o% w&at today #s caed Santería, a m#snomer @and %ormer 'ejorat#ve %or t&e #nd#$enous re#$#on o% t&e ukum# 'eo'e o% <#$er#a. n t&e &eart o% t&e#r &omeand, t&ey &ad a com'e; 'o#t#ca and soc#a order. =&ey were a sedentary &oe %arm#n$ cutura $rou' w#t& s'ec#a#*ed abor. =&e#r re#$#on, based on t&e wors' o% nature, was renamed and documented by t&e#r masters. Santería, a 'ejorat#ve term t&at c&aracter#*es dev#ant Cat&o#c %orms o% wors'#n$ sa#nts, &as become a common name %or t&e re#$#on. =&e term santero(a) #s used to descr#be a 'r#est or 'r#estess re'ac#n$ t&e trad#t#ona term Olorisha as an e;tens#on o% t&e de#t#es. =&e orishas became known as t&e sa#nts #n #ma$e o% t&e Cat&o#c 'ant&eon. B(rnesto 4#c&ardo, CA, Santería in Contemporary Cuba: The individual life and condition of the priesthood n order to 'reserve t&e#r trad#t#ona be#e%s, t&e ucumí 'eo'e syncret#*ed t&e#r Orichás w#t& +oman Cat&o#c Saints. Due to ts story, amon$ 'ract#t#oners, t&e terms "sa#nt" and "or#c&E" are commony used #nterc&an$eaby. =s stor#ca "ve#" c&aracter#*at#on o% t&e reat#ons' between Cat&o#c sa#nts and /r#c&Es #s made a t&e more com'#cated by t&e %act t&at t&e vast major#ty o% santeros #n Cuba, 4uerto +#co, and t&e Dom#n#can +e'ub#c, are aso +oman Cat&o#cs, &ave been ba't#*ed, and o%ten re?u#re #n#t#ates to be ba't#*ed #n +oman Cat&o#c#sm as we. n 1:7, t&e C&urc& o% t&e ukum# abau Aye became t&e %#rst Santería c&urc& #n t&e >n#ted States to become o%%#c#ay #ncor'orated. !3
Rituals and ceremonies Santería does not use a centra creed %or #ts re#$#ous 'ract#cesF t&ou$& #t #s understood #n terms o% #ts r#tuas and ceremon#es.!6G102 =&ese r#tuas and ceremon#es take 'ace #n w&at #s known as a &ouse5 tem'e or casa de santos @&ouse o% sa#nts, aso known as an ilé . Most ilés are #n t&e &omes o% t&e #n#t#ated 4r#ests and 4r#estesses. Ilé s&r#nes are bu#t, by t&e 'r#ests and 'r#estess, to t&e d#%%erent or#c&Es wc& creates a s'ace %or wors', caed an ibodu @atar.!6G102 n an ibodu t&ere #s a d#s'ay o% t&ree d#st#nct t&rones @dra'ed w#t& roya bue, wte, and red sat#n t&at re'resent t&e seats o% t&e ?ueens, k#n$s, and t&e de#%#ed warr#ors. !7G168 (ac& ilé #s com'osed o% t&ose w&o occas#onay seek $u#dance %rom t&e or#s&as, as we as t&ose w&o are #n t&e 'rocess o% becom#n$ 'r#ests. !8G6 =&e many cabildos and casas t&at br#d$ed t&e 1:t& and 20t& centur#es are %ondy remembered by contem'orary 'r#ests as t&e or#$#ns and stron$&ods o% Cuban ucumí cuture and re#$#on .!8G37 =o become a Santero or Santera @4r#est or 4r#estess o% Santería, t&e #n#t#ator must $o t&rou$& an #ntens#ve week5on$ #n#t#at#on 'rocess !7G163 #n wc& t&e teacn$ o% t&e r#tua sk#s and mora be&av#or occurs #n%ormay and nonverbay. =o be$#n w#t&, t&e #n#t#ator $oes t&rou$& w&at #s caed a ceans#n$ r#tua. =&e #n#t#ators !adrino @$od%at&er ceanses t&e &ead w#t& s'ec#a &erbs and water. =&e
!adrino rubs t&e &erbs and water #n a s'ec#%#c 'attern o% movements #nto t&e sca' o% t&e &ead. However, #% a 'erson #s enter#n$ Santería %or t&e need o% &ea#n$, t&ey w# under$o t&e roaci"n de la cabe#a @bess#n$ o% t&e &ead, #n wc& coconut water and cotton are a''#ed on t&e &ead to %eed #t. !:G26I28 /nce ceansed, t&ere are %our major #n#t#at#on r#tuas t&at t&e #n#t#ator w# &ave to under$o, wc& areG obta#n#n$ t&e ele$es @beaded neckace, rece#v#n$ %os &uerreros @t&e )arr#ors, and mak#n$ Ochá @Sa#nt.!6G107
Obtaining the elekes =&e %#rst r#tua #s known as t&e ac?u#s#t#on o% t&e beaded neckaces @known as ele$esF accord#n$ to De a =orre, "t&e coors and 'atterns o% t&e beads on t&e eekes w# be t&ose o% t&e or#c&E t&at serves as t&e #yawos @br#de ru#n$ &ead and $uard#an an$e and so t&e %#rst tn$ t&at must be done #s to determ#ne w&o t&e or#c&E #s. =&e ele$es neckace #s bat&ed #n a m#;ture o% &erbs, sacr#%#c#a bood, and ot&er 'otent substances and $#ven to t&e #n#t#ated. !6G107 =&e #n#t#ate most o%ten rece#ves t&e neckace o% t&e %#ve most 'ower%u and 'o'uar oricha, as t&e mut#coored beads o% t&e ele$es are eac& 'atterned %or t&e 'r#mary Orichás @(e$uE, /bataE, -emayE, C&an$ó, and /c&Jn, and t&ey serve as a sacred 'o#nt o% contact w#t& t&ese Orichás. )&en t&e neckace #s rece#ved, t&e #n#t#ated must bow over a bat&tub and &ave sK&er &ead was&ed by t&e olo orichá. =&e ele$es!:G28 serves as t&e sacred banners %or t&e Orichás and act as a s#$n o% t&e Orichá's 'resence and 'rotect#onF &owever, #t must never be worn dur#n$ a womans menstruat#on 'er#od, nor dur#n$ se;, nor w&en batn$. !6G107