What is Santeria?

Answer 1

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Answer2:Santeros, as the practitioners of Santeria are now called, worship one supreme being and a group of deities, or orisha, that form the Yoruba pantheon. The orisha's will is interpreted by Santeria priests through divination. It is said that sometimes orisha possess the worshipers in order to voice their counsel. Followers can appeal to the orisha through prayers, music, proper behavior, and offerings. Altars play an important role in the worship; santeros set them up in their homes and put flowers, rum, cake, and cigars on them to keep the deities happy and helpful.

Santeria has the basic features and traditions of an ancient African religion practiced among the Yoruba in Nigeria. When Yoruba were taken to the Caribbean islands as slaves between the 1770's and the 1840's, they took their religion with them. Once in the New World, these Africans in bondage were forced to accept Catholicism, but they refused to give up their traditions completely. So they created a new form of worship with elements taken from both religions. Such a merging of religious practices is called syncretism.

What are the characteristics of this religious worship? Santeros, as the practitioners of Santeria are now called, worship one supreme being and a group of deities, or orisha, that form the Yoruba pantheon. The orisha's will is interpreted by Santeria priests through divination. It is said that sometimes orisha possess the worshipers in order to voice their counsel. Followers can appeal to the orisha through prayers, music, proper behavior, and offerings. Altars play an important role in the worship; santeros set them up in their homes and put flowers, rum, cake, and cigars on them to keep the deities happy and helpful.

Lizette Alvarez explained in a New York Times article about Santeria philosophy: "The religion emphasizes the here and now rather than the afterlife, and it focuses on natural forces. Each deity represents an aspect of nature, like thunder, and a human characteristic, like power." Santeria priests help people to resolve day-to-day problems by consulting the orisha. These are not Catholic priests, and their ordinary Santeria rituals are held in homes rather than temples.

Followers belong to a specific community with a male or female santero serving as godparent, counselor, and priest for the community. New members are initiated by priests in a ceremony that includes music, dances, and animal sacrifices. Animals are also sacrificed to celebrate births, marriages, and deaths. Chickens, goats, doves, pigeons, and turtles are among the animals used.