Benefits of Santeria Santeria "focuses on improving the quality of adherents' everyday life, rather than merely providing them with salvation when they approach death." Vega, the religion professor, said Santeria is a way of life. Gundani and Ongonga also discuss, respectively, the rituals of Kurova Guva and Duogo, which are rituals of reintegrating the deceased and confirming their status as ancestors or the living dead. Initiation is a solemn and life-changing event for the follower and unites them with their Orisha, and with other followers of that Orisha. Encyclopedia.com gives you the ability to cite reference entries and articles according to common styles from the Modern Language Association (MLA), The Chicago Manual of Style, and the American Psychological Association (APA). Its roots are in the Yoruba traditions of present-day Nigeria, but through the influence of Catholicism, it exists as one of the most syncretic religions in the world. For a long time Santeria was a secretive underground religion, but it's becoming increasingly visible in the Americas: Once dismissed as a ghetto religion practiced only by the Caribbean poor and uneducated, Santeria has a growing following among middle-class professionals, including white, black and Asian Americans. Santera focuses on building relationships between human beings and powerful (but mortal) spirits or divinities called o risha. There is a Spanish influence in Santeria, whereas in Voodoo religion the French influence is more prominent. Santera, or La Regla Lucum (or Lukum) as it is more properly known, is one of the African Diaspora; religions spread around the world with the scattering of the enslaved African people brought to the new world. She is also affiliated with moon magic and witchcraft. Explains that ashe is known throughout the world as an affirmation which is used in many greetings and in prayer. Santeria and Voodoo were both presented in the Western Hemisphere by slaves from North Africa, most likely Nigeria. What does Santera believe about the afterlife? Santeria has no scriptures and is passed on by word-of-mouth. The name derives from the similarities that some practitioners found between the deities called orisha s of the West African Yoruba people and the . Santeria relies on the wisdom of orishas. To become a Santero, one must pass a series of tests and requirements prior to initiation. Many people are involved with Santeria to a lesser extent, without becoming members of an il. The Roman Catholic element in Santeria is most obvious in the way Orishas are associated with Catholic Saints such as: Followers of Santeria are often (nominal) Roman Catholics as well. Santera is based upon the development of personal relationships through divination, sacrifice, initiation, and mediumship (see medium) between practitioners of the religion and the orisha deities, who provide their devotees with protection, wisdom, and success and who guide devotees in times of crisis. Based on Santera, people are born under a guardian Orisha, or saint, that must be worshipped throughout life. The Gikuyu call such persons muimwo ni iri (rejected by the people). Learn Religions. Oya is a warrior, and the guardian of the dead. We're supposed to evolve, not live like brutes. Santeria developed among Afro-Cuban communities while Voodoo developed among Afro-Haitian communities. Followers believe that these spirits will give them help in life, if they carry out the appropriate rituals, and enable them to achieve the destiny planned for them before they were born. Elements of Santera and its African roots permeate Cuban culture, including by The process not only brings the worshipper closer to their Orisha, but makes them more aware of the presence of the Orisha within them. Her faith is called Santeria or Regla de Osha/IFA, a religion grounded in African beliefs that were transported to the New World aboard slave ships and melded with Christian beliefs in Cuba. This is a Lukumi based discussion forum. https://www.encyclopedia.com/environment/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/afterlife-african-concepts, "Afterlife: African Concepts but only faith in Almighty God can bring them a happy afterlife. Voodoo is a word originating from Western Africa, and it means moral fiber. It blends elements of French Catholicism and traditional religions of West Africa. There is no centralized leader within Voodoo. Download Full Image. For me it has not only made Ocha but Christianity WAY more easy to understand and honestly comingle instead of being these opposing concepts in my mind that was honestly creating disconnect in ego and egun. We call it in Spanish "rendir cuentas," which means "explain yourself, tell me why you lived the way you did." The Heartbeat of Indigenous Africa. Nairobi, Kenya, 1992. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans said the Euless ordinance "placed a substantial burden on Merced's free exercise of religion without advancing a compelling governmental interest." For one thing, there seems in Christian discourse and practice, a literal demotion or even demonization of ancestors. Through the bodies of their mediums the orishas are believed to interact with the congregation directly and heal and prophesy for those who approach them. - Wikimedia Commons by Susanne Bollinger / CC-BY-SA-4.. Santera developed in Cuba during the 19 th century and has continued to spread in America, particularly in large cities like Miami, New York, and Los Angeles primarily through Caribbean island immigrants. African Synod: Instrumentum Laboris. The promise of happiness brought by proximity to God was severed and remains only a vague future possibility. This anthology of essays analyzes African independent churches, their histories and theologies. The Santeria faith teaches that every individual has a destiny from God, a destiny fulfilled with the aid and energy of the orishas. Nairobi, Kenya, 1971. The Luo of Kenya call this ritual Duogo (Ongonga in Cox, 1998, p. 236), while the Xhosa of South Africa call it Ukubuyisa (Pato, in Oosthuizen and Irving, 1992, p. 134). We don't have the concept of "sin" and "hell," which are Christian concepts. Explains that santera is a sensible religion that focuses on helping individuals live more in harmony with themselves and the world around them. In Santera, this concept idea has syncretised with Roman Catholic beliefs about guardian angels and Spiritist notions of the protecciones or protector spirits. Once the spirit comes into the member, it can speak to the god (Bondye), dead people, heal, protect, and even do magic. Historically, Africa is heir to a triple heritage of religion and culture: namely African traditional religions, Islam, and Christianity. The basis of the Santeria religion is the nurture of a personal relation with the orishas, and one of the principal forms of devotion is an animal sacrifice. The way in which these pieces fall is used to provide guidance. Given this integral relationship between the outer and inner person, then, it would seem that at death it is the person that dies rather than "the soul" leaving the body and flying away, as some Christian popular hymns indicate. Encyclopedias almanacs transcripts and maps. Without sacrifice the religion would die out, as sacrifice is essential for initiation into the faith community and the 'ordination' of priests. (2020, August 28). Some of the most popular orishas include: It is estimated that about a million or so Americans currently practice Santeria, but it's hard to determine whether this count is accurate or not. In August 2009, the 5th U.S. Rites of Passage in Contemporary Africa: Interaction Between Christian and African Traditional Religions. Discussing African notions of afterlife necessitates several preliminary and pertinent observations. That vision includes angels, dogs, and an infinite library of books. The rituals involve performers drumming that make most of the music, singing, dancing, praying, and even animal sacrifice. While this dynamism is manifest in all aspects of belief, here we focus on concepts of the hereafter. Santeria Religion. Encyclopedia.com. Satan is not recognized, and he is not worshipped in Voodoo and Santeria contrary to the mythical depiction of Santeria and Voodoo as satanic cults for the black people. Therefore, be sure to refer to those guidelines when editing your bibliography or works cited list. Now, I present you with the opportunity to REQUEST A RITUAL directly on this website. Santeria incorporates elements of several faiths and so is what's called a 'syncretic' religion. Moreover, for the most part assuming a radical difference between themselves and their worldviews and the Africans and their worldviews, and convinced of the need to convert Africans from their allegedly "primitive" and therefore "inadequate" or even "wrong" beliefs, missionaries deliberately tried to erase African beliefs and practices and to replace these with ostensibly Christian ones. Santeria evolved when African slaves were stolen from their homelands during the Colonial period and forced to work in Caribbean sugar plantations. Secondly, African beliefs are dynamic rather than static. Preparations are then made for the grand and irrevocable initiation of the devotee into that orishas mysteries. In situations where a corpse is not retrievable, say because of drowning, a burial must still be performed, and so in some societies, a surrogate is used. Offerings to the lwa include fruit and the blood of sacrificed animals. Thus, petitionary prayer is often said through them. Both Santeria and Voodoo are religious practices upheld by people who believe in a common God that is served by several spirits. Now available on Amazon. The U.S. Army and Federal Bureau of Prisons have incorporated orisha ministries into their chaplaincies. It is likely that Orisha traditions will continue to grow and be recognized as one of the principal African contributions to world culture. "What is Santeria?" New York, 1976. Moreover, in the African view, to be is to participate in an ongoing dance of life propelled by God's creative and sustaining power. There are about three thousand African ethnic groups, each boasting a distinctive common history, culture, language, and recognizable belief system. Author of. Divination can be done by casting palm nuts, interpreting the fall of shells, or using a divided coconut. 2021 google commercial; where did charles ingalls move to after walnut grove This to me just reeks of Christian influence. One such song exhorts the listeners to remember that "our bodies are like flowers that wither and die" and that "We shall leave our bodies right here on earth and go to heaven in/with our souls/spirits" (mioyo ) (Kikuyu Catholic Hymnal, 1992, hymn 108). Devotees see the Orisha tradition as a world religion and have received public recognition of their spiritual achievements.

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