Santería…the most famous Afrocuban religion of the island. I still haven’t decided what I think about it. Sometimes it seemed deep and spiritual to me but other times it just seemed like it has turned into a cheesy trend that is used to attract tourists and make money, losing its authenticity and genuineness that it once held. Santería is a religion that came over with the slaves from Africa. It was practiced on the plantations and disguised as the worship of Catholic saints, hence the name. The belief system has the same basic principles of most religions but is practiced in a uniquely African way which includes a lot of drumming and dancing. There is an all-encompassing energy instead of a God figure and there are orishas which are like spiritual godparents. These orishas represent an aspect of life or the earth. Tambors are religious ceremonies in the honor of orishas and in these tambors, special drummers play the sacred drums and the gathering dances certain dances for the orisha. Sometimes, someone is possessed by the orisha and can give advice and blessings to the people. There are also sacrifices made in honor of the orishas such as a chicken. Food is made and set out for the orisha to enjoy before it is eaten by the people in attendance.
The group attended a few tambors in our time in Cuba and each was a unique experience. For me, although some moments were strange and a little uncomfortable, I always appreciated being there for part of something that is so uniquely Cuban.
The other night we went to a party for Yemayá, the orisha of the sea, which was a follow up to the tambor held in Profe’s honor just a few days before. The whole group arrived at the Padrino’s house in Cayo Hueso. To get there we drove through Centro Habana,
one of the poorer sections of town. Crammed into a single cab, we drove down dirty, bumpy streets past doors that opened into lace-lined doorways and cartoons on tv. We drove by women walking down the street past staring eyes, by groups of kids playing games in the streets, past mangly dogs with no homes until we arrived at the silver door of the Padrino’s house. The twelve of us plus Profe, his wife, the Padrino, and whatever random person came in and out of his house squeezed into his small living room for a “party”. This mostly consisted of us making awkward conversation which was only solved by the distribution of a yummy mixture of wine and lemon and a plateful of goodies. We ate and talked in front of the colorful blue and white altar for Yemayá. Not only was this experience uniquely Cuban, but so was the house. I always love going into the Cuban homes because they are all so different and no matter how small or simple they are, the Cubans always add their touch of flavor. In the Padrino’s house for example there is quite a bit of lace which is typical in I think most Latin countries, but there were also lots of little statues of animals, Santería figures, etc. My favorite part was the wall
decorations. There was a large poster of three adorable fluffy white dogs, and photos of babies on weird Little Mermaid backgrounds. But I loved how open the house was, to the people inside and outside, it seemed always welcoming.
Today I went to that same house to get my fortune read. Padrino sat me down and sat down in front of me on the floor, casually leaning against the cool wall. He asked me some questions and started the process. He took a handful of shells, shook them in his hand while he spoke to the orishas in Yoruba, hit his fist on the floor, and then threw the shells down. The way in which they landed tells my fortune or rather, things to look for and be careful of in my life. Although I was a little skeptical going in, he ended up telling me some interesting things. I found out that I am the daughter of Yemayá which was weird because I always had a feeling that she was my orisha. I took the experience and did what he told me to do and I think in a way it helped me get adjusted to Cuba and was an interesting way to do so.
The group attended a few tambors in our time in Cuba and each was a unique experience. For me, although some moments were strange and a little uncomfortable, I always appreciated being there for part of something that is so uniquely Cuban.
The other night we went to a party for Yemayá, the orisha of the sea, which was a follow up to the tambor held in Profe’s honor just a few days before. The whole group arrived at the Padrino’s house in Cayo Hueso. To get there we drove through Centro Habana,
one of the poorer sections of town. Crammed into a single cab, we drove down dirty, bumpy streets past doors that opened into lace-lined doorways and cartoons on tv. We drove by women walking down the street past staring eyes, by groups of kids playing games in the streets, past mangly dogs with no homes until we arrived at the silver door of the Padrino’s house. The twelve of us plus Profe, his wife, the Padrino, and whatever random person came in and out of his house squeezed into his small living room for a “party”. This mostly consisted of us making awkward conversation which was only solved by the distribution of a yummy mixture of wine and lemon and a plateful of goodies. We ate and talked in front of the colorful blue and white altar for Yemayá. Not only was this experience uniquely Cuban, but so was the house. I always love going into the Cuban homes because they are all so different and no matter how small or simple they are, the Cubans always add their touch of flavor. In the Padrino’s house for example there is quite a bit of lace which is typical in I think most Latin countries, but there were also lots of little statues of animals, Santería figures, etc. My favorite part was the walldecorations. There was a large poster of three adorable fluffy white dogs, and photos of babies on weird Little Mermaid backgrounds. But I loved how open the house was, to the people inside and outside, it seemed always welcoming.
Today I went to that same house to get my fortune read. Padrino sat me down and sat down in front of me on the floor, casually leaning against the cool wall. He asked me some questions and started the process. He took a handful of shells, shook them in his hand while he spoke to the orishas in Yoruba, hit his fist on the floor, and then threw the shells down. The way in which they landed tells my fortune or rather, things to look for and be careful of in my life. Although I was a little skeptical going in, he ended up telling me some interesting things. I found out that I am the daughter of Yemayá which was weird because I always had a feeling that she was my orisha. I took the experience and did what he told me to do and I think in a way it helped me get adjusted to Cuba and was an interesting way to do so.
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