Lucumi is commonly called Santeria (way of saints). It was created centuries ago by members of the Yoruba tribe in Cuba. They practiced Ifa and then they became Catholic. They mixed their old religion with their new religion. Lucumi have Orishas and rituals. Lucumi is very nature based and has great healing practices.
Lucumi started in 1515. Ifa was outlawed by the Spanish oppressors in Cuba. Yoruba became Catholic in response to this. They still had faith in the ways of their ancestors; so Catholic saints became representations of Orishas. Yoruba people celebrated Catholic holidays, so the Spanish oppressors called their religion Santeria.
Ancestors are called Egun. After a person gets initiated in Lucumi they must cultivate a relationship with their ancestors. They have to get to know the ancestors b4 they can know the Orishas. After all the Orishas are deified ancestors. There are religious and blood egun.
Spirit guides are called araorun. Araorun means citizens of heaven. There is an altar for these spirits called boveda. People have Spirit Masses to connect these spirits. Spirit Masses come from Kongo spirituality and Kardecian Spiritism. There African, American, Gypsy, pirate, and various other kinds of spirit guides.
Orishas are what deities are called in Lucumi.
Eleggba: Orisha of the crossroads. He connects heaven to earth. He is my favorite Orisha because he likes to fuck.
Ogun: Orisha of war, hunting, and technology. His archnemesis is Shango.
Shango: He is the King of the Orishas. He rules thunder and fire. He was a king of Oyo b4 he was deified. He is beefing with Ogun because Ogun is upset he stole wife and dogs.
Orunmila: Orisha of destiny. He rules over divination. Eleggba defeated different Orishas in battle. But he couldn't defeat Ika. Ika was going to kill him, but Orunmila saved him.
Yemaya: She is the Orisha of the ocean. She is the mother of some of the Orishas.
Obatala: He is the Orisha of wisdom. He is the oldest Orisha. He made people out of clay. One day he got drunk on palm wine and made handicapped people.
There are 400 + 1 Orishas.
The supreme being is called Olodumare.
During initiation, the initiate is given a necklace of beads. Each bead represents an Orisha. These are the Orishas that are closest to the initiate. The necklace is a communication tool for the initiate to use to get in connect with his Orishas. The necklace is called ilekes.
Medio Asiento: In this ritual, an initiate is told their past, present, and future. Then there told the path Eleggba will take in their life. After that, they build a statue of Eleggba to keep evil spirits from their houses.
Most rituals are done 4 ancestors first and then Eleggba. After that any other Orisha they choose.
Blood sacrifices are given to Orishas. If it is an animal most of it is eaten and the rest is given to the Orishas.
Sometimes cooked food is given other times fruit.
Lucumi healers use herbs, psychology, and ethics to heal people. Lemongrass can lower blood pressure and inflammation. Thyme tea and castor oil speeds up delivery. Healers also help people improve their emotions, which leads to faster healing of the body. Sometimes healers talk to spirits to find a cure for an illness. Sometimes divination is used to find the cause of the disease.
Lucumi is awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love Ifa because it's African and I like Catholicism because it's pagan. Lucumi has many spirits and rituals. It's close to nature and able to cure some diseases.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santería
http://santeriachurch.org/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/santeria/
http://www.philtar.ac.uk/encyclopedia/latam/kardec.html
https://news.vice.com/article/santeria-is-cubas-new-favorite-religion
http://www.religioustolerance.org/santeri3.htm
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Santeria
History of Santeria
Boveda
Interview with Lady of Santeria
Santeria Ritual
Santeria and Palo Mayombe Experience
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