Even if the Cuban government would have good reason to hold a grudge against the clergy — one thinks, among other things, of Operation Peter Pan in the early 1960s, when the Cuban high clergy encouraged the departure of thousands of children to the United States, without their parents, under the false pretense that the new socialist government was going to send the children to be “indoctrinated” in the Soviet Union – there is freedom of religion in the Caribbean island, whatever says the current President of the United States.
One of these religions, very popular, is the Yoruba religion, originating in Africa, which the Cubans adapted to their conditions and better known under the name of ” santeria “. We do not agree on the origins of the santeria in Cuba. Some say that the slaves pretended to venerate the Catholic saints of their masters, but in fact they wereorishas, their own saints. Others say that it was the Catholic Church that forced slaves to venerate their saints by adapting them to orishas slaves. But, above all, you must know that it is not a religion of hatred, exclusion and domination of one sex over another.
Anyway, the santeria is very present here and is practiced by both whites and blacks. Because, as is often said, Cuban society is a mixed society, an “ajiaco criollo”, a kind of stew or fricassee where you can find everything, well mixed in an open soup tureen, without a lid (it’s a metaphor !).
At the beginning of each year, the high priests of the Yoruba religion meet to draw up the “Letter of the Year”, according to a ritual during which certain animals (rooster, pigeon, etc.) will be sacrificed. Then they let their followers know what will happen in the new year, both in Cuba and elsewhere in the world. These predictions are the fruit of common reflections emanating from a great council chaired by an Ifa, a Sage.
Thus, we learn that the year 2023 will be placed under the protection of Obatalá, assisted by Oshún. Obatalá is one of the most important figures of this religion and is represented, in the Catholic religion, by the Virgen de la Merced (a sort of Virgin of Mercy), the patroness of the city of Barcelona. She is the creator of the Earth, mother of all the Orishas. It controls our head, our thoughts and our dreams. While Oshún is represented by the Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre, the patroness of Cuba. She is the queen of fresh waters (rivers, lakes, springs) and personifies love and fertility.
The official statement sets out a whole series of recommendations and behaviors to follow or avoid. It is said that “if the bowl is cracked, it will never be filled”, or “in the land of the dead, I am the foreman”, or “death must respect the living” or “he who helps his neighbor much will receive a lot in return”. An increase in sore throats and spinal pain is predicted and stress will cause many headaches. We are concerned about the aging of the population, the drop in the birth rate and the departure of many young people from the country, while insisting on the need to ensure a good education for the children who are forming the next generation.
Practitioners are invited to make an “ebbó” (an offering) to the saint to whom they are dedicated, such as a chick, a colored bracelet, earth from a hole, etc. And it is recommended to do “Paraldos” (ritual ceremonies, with songs and sacrifices) to chase away disturbing elements and honor the ancestors.
You should know that a person who wants to join the Yoruba religion must first undergo a sponsorship of a few days with a sponsor of his choice, who will give him advice and tell him which saint to devote himself to, according to the character of the aspirant. /e: Obatalá (Virgin of Mercy), Oshún (Virgin of Copper), Yemayá (Black Virgin of Regla), Chango (Saint Barbara), Elegguá (Saint Anthony of Padua), Oggun (Saint Peter or Saint John the Baptist ), Oyá (Saint Teresa of Avila or The Virgin of Candlemas), Babalu Aye (Saint Lazarus), each of these saints having their own attributes. Following which this person must wear at all times a small bracelet in the colors of the holy (you have surely already noticed this if you come to Cuba frequently). It is indeed an apparent religious sign, but here, no problem and above all, it is not associated with any submission or domination of one person over another. Cuban society is really cool. And don’t forget, when you open a new bottle of rum, to throw the first drop on the ground, as all Cubans do, to greet ” los santos “.