Santeria, which is more properly referred to as La Regla Lucumi or Regla de Ocha, is a religion that is often misunderstood and unfairly portrayed by the media. Many people unfamiliar with this Old World religion often mistakenly think that it has satanic undertones or is a type of fanatical cult. In actuality, Santeria is a magical and powerful religion with a rich and colorful history. It focuses upon the worship of one god, known as Olodumare (or Olorun) and the interaction that Olodumare has with humankind through emissaries known as Orishas.
But to get a better understanding, let's first look briefly at the history of Santeria. Santeria is derived from the traditional faith of the Yoruba people of West Africa. A syncretistic religion, it is a combination of these traditional beliefs and certain aspects of Catholicism, primarily the recognition of Catholic saints. The reason for this combination is because many Yoruba natives were forced into slavery and transported from Africa to New World, primarily to work in the sugar cane fields of the Caribbean. They were often baptized, typically under duress, by Roman Catholic priests but came up with a clever way of holding on to their spiritual traditions. Because they needed to practice their beliefs under such a cloak of secrecy they began referring to their Orishas as Santos, or saints. This leads outsiders to believe they were extremely devoted to the Catholic saints and to eventually refer to their religion as Santeria, or Way of the Saints.
Beliefs and customs
Santeria is a religion of initiation with a person having to pass three levels before being called a santero or priest. Santeros are skilled at divination and also very knowledgeable herbalists who use various ingredients for magical spells that are used to gain ashe. Ashe is knowledge and gifts given by God to humans through the Orishas who transfer it through a system of offerings and sacrifice known as ebbo.
During a ritual of drum music and dancing, an initiate can fall into a trance state, channeling information from the Orishas and offering healing to an individual or needed information to gathered community members
The deity of Olodumare or Olorun is viewed as God and creator of the universe with while the Orishas are manifestations of the creator. The purpose of the Orishas is to assist a person in different areas of their life and to achieve the destiny that Olodumare chose for them before they were born. In order for a person of the Santeria faith to have a good relationship with the Orishas, they need to carry out the appropriate rituals. Because Orishas are not considered to be immortal spirits they are believed to require sacrifice in order to survive. On occasion a sacrifice of animal blood is offered, usually from a chicken. This is one of the reasons that Santeria has drawn criticism from the media and general public. However the sacrifice of a small animal is done only on rare occasions as the indiscriminate killing of animals goes against their beliefs.
Orishas are considered to possess not only human attributes such as intelligence and love, but also to be embodiments of nature such as bodies of water, mountains, minerals, storms, etc. Santeria is purely and oral tradition and has no scriptures or other holy texts.
There is no belief in heaven or an otherworld in the Santeria religion. Instead there is only the visible world where humans and other life forms live and the invisible world in which the Orishas and ancestral spirits known as Egun dwell. It is believed that after death the human soul can be transformed into an Egun.
Egun play a very important part as they offer spiritual guidance both to the community and an individual. A person may have several Egun; not necessarily those connected by blood ties, who accompany them throughout their life.
Many people of the Santeria faith practice a combination of several African religions, which have been passed to them through parents and grandparents. It is a very diverse and magical belief system with a rich and colorful history.
