The Cuban saints They are part of a neo-African religious tradition that developed in the Caribbean, specifically on the island of Cuba. Despite being practiced by people around the world, Santeria is considered an Afro-Cuban religion..
This practice is based on the religion of the Yoruba people (from West Africa) and began to develop in the 16th century during the colonial period, when Africans were brought to the Caribbean in slavery to work on tobacco and plantations. sugar.
The Yoruba religion considered that there were hundreds of deities, also called "orishas", who dominated certain aspects of nature..
During the colonial period, the slaves belonging to this people brought some of these deities with them to the Caribbean. However, since the Spanish colonies, Cuba and Puerto Rico, were faithful to the Catholic Church, the religious practices of Africans were prohibited..
Instead, the slaves were converted to Catholicism, to prevent them from worshiping "false gods" and saving their souls..
However, they found similarities between their "orishas" and the Catholic saints, which allowed them to continue worshiping their deities under the name of Western saints. Thus began the syncretism process; mixing Yoruba practices with Catholic practices and resulting in the religion that today is known as Santeria.
The orishas are the main spirits or deities that serve as an intermediary between Oldumare, a supreme being, creator of everything, and the practitioners of Santeria. Due to syncretism, the santeros have established relationships between the orishas and some saints of the Catholic Church.
According to Lefever, (1996, cited by Burgman, C.), originally, hundreds of Yoruba deities were worshiped. However, currently only 16 of these are recognized, each of which has been associated with a Catholic figure:
Agayú - San Cristobal, Babalú Ayé - San Lázaro, Eleguá - San Antonio de Padua, Ibeji - San Damían, Inhle - San Rafael, Obatalá - Virgen de las Mercedes, Ogún - San Pedro, Olokun - Our Lady of Regla, Orula - San Francisco, Osayin - San José, Ochosi - San Norberto, Ochún - Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre, Oya - Virgen de la Candelaria, Changó - Santa Bárbara, Yemayá - Our Lady of Regla.
Ochún is the youngest of the orishas. This is the deity of beauty, love, prosperity, order and fertility. and represents feminine grace. She is the protector of the poor and the mother of the sick, as well as the queen of rivers and other sweet waters. This oricha is represented by the Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre, patron saint of Cuba.
Yemayá is the mother and protector of all living beings, the queen of heaven, earth and waters. It lives in the ocean. This oricha is related to Our Lady of the Rule for being the patron saint of the sea.
It is the oldest of the orishas and creator of humans, which were sculpted in clay, as in the Jewish religion. He is known as the king of logic and peace.
He promotes the use of diplomacy and reason to resolve disputes and often acts as a mediator between the other deities. In the same way, he is the protector of people with cognitive compromises and addicts..
Obatalá is syncretized with Jesus, San Sebastián and Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes. It is usually associated with Jesus since both represent wisdom and purity and because they are the first-born of great gods.
It is the oricha of divination. Like Eleguá, he knows the patterns of destiny and therefore can be consulted to discover what the future holds. It is the patron of the Ifá sect, composed of babalaos, priests who are credited with the ability of clairvoyance. Orula is associated with Saint Francis of Assisi for unknown reasons.
It is the oricha of the forests and of the hunt, its arrows always hit the target. It represents blind justice that applies to everyone equally. He is associated with Saint Norbert for unknown reasons.
In Santeria, Agayú is Changó's father. This deity controls volcanoes and is the patron of deserts. It is related to San Cristóbal.
He is a warrior. He is represented as a blacksmith who creates tools and weapons. He is also the father of technology and is usually associated with Saint Peter because he holds metal keys and Ogún is a blacksmith.
Eleguá, also known as Esú, Eleda or Elegbara, is the messenger of destiny, that is, of Orula since all human languages are spoken. It is associated with entrances, roads and, above all, crossroads, of which it is the pattern.
This oricha also represents birth and death (alpha and omega), so it is syncretized with the Santo Niño de Atoche (which symbolizes childhood) and with San Antonio de Padua (which symbolizes old age).
Babalú Ayé means “the king who hurts the world”. This is the oricha of the disease; their messengers are disease-carrying mosquitoes and flies. Babalú Ayé is represented as a man covered in stinking ulcers. This deity is also capable of curing the sick and is usually related to Saint Lazarus because the latter because he suffered from skin diseases, such as leprosy.
According to Clark, Mary, the correspondence between the Catholic Saints and the Orishas is not perfect or exact because it was made taking into account a small number of elements of Western culture, such as the iconography of the Catholic Church and the colors they used..
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