Santeria

Santeria: Worshipping the Saints The religion of Santeria is a very different one compared to others more accepted and practiced like Christianity, Catholicism, and Judaism. Yet, one belief that all of these religions have in common with Santeria is the faith of God. The word Santeria when translated means “the worship of saints” which is exactly what makes Santeria different from other religions. Followers of Santeria worship Orishas, which are saints and each saint has a different personality and represent a different element and force in nature. This religion participates in things like animal sacrifice, cleansing, special herbs, candle spells/rituals, Orisha worshipping, and initiations.
Santeria is an old world religion that is derived from Africa but began growing in places like Cuba, Haiti, and Brazil when African slaves were transported there during colonization. In class I was introduced to Ana, my partner, who had a close family friend named Warren. Warren is a social worker who lives in Palmdale and actively practices Santeria, and who was introduced to it by his grandmother. Warren actually didn’t practice Santeria until he became an adult, and kept having visions of his grandmother (who had practiced Santeria) that had passed away. According to Warren, his visions gave him the courage to seek others that practiced Santeria and eventually was initiated into the religion. When beginning the interview with Warren, he defensively made a point to state that Santeria was not voodoo or witchcraft. “Santeria is very pure,” he stated. “Many people don’t understand Santeria and think that making spells or prayers with candles is dark and don’t understand it. Yet, what are we taught on our first birthday? On our very first birthday we are taught that we light a candle and make a wish so it will come true.”
A very important norm that Santeria practices is the initiations. Warren says that initiations are a seven