Santeria can be an built in system of beliefs from the Yoruba faith, Roman Catholic and Indigenous American practices. The elements of Yoruba religion were imported to the " new world " in the Caribbean by the slaves from Nigeria (People form Nigeria, Western world African country) who were ferried to Caribbean to work in the sugarcane plantations. As these slaves were being carried to their new destination, they carried out with them their traditional faith. These practices included the manner of praying with their ancestors and other many deities. Given their spiritual and ritual aspect of their faith, Santeria is fully infested with pet sacrifice and sacred drumming likewise way its mother Yoruba religion will though Santeria shares in other doctrines of the Catholic, and Local American practices.
The incorporation of the three religions has improved over time now it has used an application called Santeria as it is today in Cuba. However, it is observed that the religion continues to extend to other areas of the world for instance United Sates of America given the migration of the believers from areas it is dominantly used like Cuba. As reported today, the fans of this trust aren't only Africans of Western Africa origins but large numbers are of Hispanic and Caribbean descent. In United states, increasing volume of African- American and European-American heritage has been documented up to now.
Ritual Performance Practices of Santeria: Ascension, Divination and Sacrifice
This research paper attempts to place into emphasis the ritual performance of Santeria in the light of Ascension, Divination and Sacrifice. These three are the major pillars of the Santerian traditional ritual performance.
Unlike other world religions of Traditional western source, Santeria lacks an structured central creed because of its religious practices. It's best known because of its unique rituals and ceremonies. Most remarkably, these rituals and ceremonies are conducted within the house temple also known in Cuba as the casa de santos translated in British as the house of saints. The home temple is also known as ile from the Yoruba dialect. It is the observation that ile are found in the homes of the initiated priests and priestesses (Mason, p. 123). Furthermore, ile shrines are purely built by the consecrated priests and priestesses themselves.
Different orishas are given different ile shrines depending on the commands of these deity. The shrine creates an area for worship referred to as igbodu often an equivalent of alter in Catholic religious beliefs. Every igbodu (alter) is characterized by the screen of three specific thrones designated by royal blue, white and red satin. The three thrones symbolize that of the queen, kings and the warriors deified. The composition of ile comprises of the following:
Individuals seeking guidance from the orishas.
Followers who are awaiting consecration to become priests.
In the history of Santerian, cabildos and casas constructed between your 19th and the 20th decades provides fond remembrances of the contemporary priests and the priestesses who will be the key pillars of the roots and strongholds of Cuban Lucumi culture and faith.
Rituals:
The first ritual is Santera is the acquisition of elekes (beaded necklaces). The color patterns of the beads on the elekes will be much like those of orisha that generally functions as the iyawo's (bride) ruling head and the guardian angel (Brown, p. 35). The acquisition of the elekes mustbe done by babalawo, the divine bundle of money teller, during the divination ritual called bajar a Orunla translated as "to bring down Onrula". During this rite, the elekes is soaked in an assortment of natural remedies, a sacrificial bloodstream and other substances directed at the initiated. In standard circumstances, the initiates must obtain elekes of the five most effective and influential orishas. These particular elekes given to the initiates have multicolored beads on the elekes patterned to symbolize all the five most important orishas: Ellegua, Obatala, Yemaya, Chango, and OShun. The beads become the sacred details of contact with the named orishas. Following that on, the initiate will now be consecrated to take care of the divination of the Orishas through the elekes.
During the reception of the elekes, the initiate bows over the bathtub and then his mind get washed with the mixture of herbal remedies by the Orisha himself. That is a sign of submission to the high capabilities of the orishas and other deities y the initiate. Throughout the life of the initiate (now a follower), the elekes will become the holy banner for the orishas, and a sign for the mighty occurrence of orishas. In the Santera, elekes play a very significant role because it is perceived as the sole professional of mighty coverage to the followers in case of any looming misfortune so that it must be worn at all times. Matching to Oguta, elekes is known as one of the holiest tools in the said faith. Therefore it must never be worn by the menstruating girl during her cycles.
Medio asiento:
This is the next ritual in command word in the religion of Santera. It involves the creation of a graphic of the Eleggua, a robust orisha who keeps evil from the life of each believer. Through the creation of this image, a person consults with a Santero and his life is assessed afresh including the history, present and the near future. The Santero then dictates the 21 paths of Eleggua the recipient will acquire and he also choose the materials to be used in the making of the image of Eleggua. The sculpture is purposed to keep away evil spirits from the initiator's home, family and life. The ritual is panned by the Santera and the orishas only will come in to preside over the procedure.
The third ritual is named "receiving of the warrior". Here, the initiates get things from the babalawo, an orisha that symbolizes the warriors. Iron tools and weapons are being used to signify Oggun, the Lord of Iron; flat iron bow and arrow stand for Ochosh, the divine hunter; Osun the messenger of Obatala is symbolized by nairon chalice with a little rooster at the end. This specific ritual marks the beginning of a formalized life-ling romantic relationship between the start and the orishas. In the same way, the orishas declare their regular cover and provision on the initiate's way. The ritual raises the level of commitment between the Santeria/initiate and the orishas whereby he's officially inducted into the religious beliefs because this ritual is binding and is also life-long in dynamics.
Asiento:
Asiento is the previous ritual in Santeria. It really is translated as ascending to the throne. This is actually the most important and secretive ritual of most and it occupies the best degree of ritual in the spiritual realms in the religious beliefs of Senteria. Through the service, the iyamo (bride) confess his submission into the trust and this point he's announced "born again". This particular ritual culminates all the recently conducted rituals, in this way it can't be conducted unless the last rituals have all been conducted. Right before the ritual is performed, an individual is undoubtedly impure and unholy thus it is strongly recommended that he "dies" from his old personality. This is the ritual that significantly signifies the process of purification and divination (Houk, p. 145).
The new convert or alternatively the initiate becomes born again in the beliefs, young and prepared to begin a fresh life of growing deeper in the beliefs. This is actually the most meaningful and mature level of faith that each initiate in expected to reach. At this stage, an start can graduate into priesthood after their consecration by other mature and visible orishas.
Sacrifice:
The Santeria is dominated by the offering of sacrifices especially through the ritual ceremonies. It generally thought in the trust. Every time a ritual is performed, an canine must be killed to shed some blood vessels which can be used for cleaning purposes. Most if the concoctions employed by the orishas during these rituals contain some ratio of blood vessels from the slaughtered family pets purely for cleaning purposes.
Conclusion:
Santeria being truly a religion whose roots are deeply rooted in Africa and Caribbean cultures thought with negligible percentages of european religious ethnicities, rituals takes on significant spiritual and cultural functions in the lives of its believers all over the world. Though it lacks prepared creeds of faith like the traditional western religions, its members find anticipated fulfillment in completing the group of it rituals stipulated in the practices of faith. Especially, Santeria is not a lesser religion among its believers given its ritual mother nature which is becoming increasingly popular on the planet. Real religion for sure.
