Many people believe that Latino cultures are all the same and hispanic languages along with their meanings are similar, in reality the Latino community no culture or language is significantly the same.
My family of origin come from the Dominican Republic, I believe we are very different from the Cuban culture. The Dominican Republic has created a wide variety of unique traditions like music, a very sexy dancing called merengue, food like the sancocho and our highly liking to baseball.
These traditions have historical and cultural significance specific to the country and are highly celebrated by the inhabitants [Brathwaite, S. (2017, May 9). 10 traditions only dominican can understand. On a culture trip. Retrieved from google].
Versus Cuban culture traditions like salsa dancing, their typical dish frijoles negros con arroz and pernil with a side of sweet plantains, and highly liking to baseball as well. Cuban praise music is known to come from religious influences like Catholicism and Santeria.
Dominican culture believes that Santeria religion is no good for people because it provides the Devil’s wish for others. Also the communication in both countries are very unique.
Santeria is an Afro-Cuban religion that is based on Yoruba beliefs and traditions from West Africa, alongside with some Roman Catholic practices. The religion includes many different rituals and traditions (Marouan). One of which involves animal sacrifices for mortal deities called Orisha. Animal sacrifices are only done using animals typically found on a farm.
These animals are treated with great respect and a lot of food prior to its sacrifice as “…tradition holds that animals are an essential medium of communication with the Orishas” (Marouan). During the sacrifice the animals are cut in the carotid arteries, allowing the animal to pass out it dies.
Other than animal sacrifices for healing and death, the animals are cooked and eaten after the ritual as the Orisha only eats the blood of the sacrificed animal. Without the animal sacrifices, the Orisha won’t be present. This animal sacrificing process allows the worshipper to feel closer to the Orisha and will feed the Orisha to keep them alive (Marrero). The sacrifices are said to bring good luck and purify, as well as forgive sins.
Animal sacrifices aren’t the only rituals for the Orishas. There are cooked food offerings called Addimús or fresh fruit offerings called Isoguí. Addimús are, “…offerings of love and thanks to the orishas or to the ancestors” (“Rituals and Sacrifice (Ebó)”). The type of food offerings depends on which Orisha that a person is offering to. “Traditional addimus include black eyed pea fritters, corn tamales, balls of toasted wheat flour and condensed milk, boiled ñame root, or ochinchín (an egg scramble made with shrimp and greens)” (“Rituals and Sacrifice (Ebó)”). Like the cooked food offering, each Orisha has their own favorite fruits. Addimús and Isoguí are first marked then placed next to the Orisha it’s for, along with a prayer.
Each of the gods has their myths and command certain aspects (Ruben, 2015). There is also a supreme being called Oludumare who is above all other orishas. In the past, Santeria has been largely compared to witchcraft because they have some similarities but is Santeria witchcraft or is it entirely different?
Santeria can be considered as a blend of different aspects of various faiths (Wiggington, 2015). This is despite the fact that most of these religions are contradictory.
It is complex as it combines worship of divine beings and several Yoruba orishas (Wiggington, 2015). Santeria also uses spells like witchcraft (Spells, 2015). The spells are not easy to come by as spell work is a rare thing in Santeria. It is important to study Santeria in depth to understand how the religion works.
Santeria and witchcraft are both religions, but they are not the same (E., 2015). Although both of them may have roots in African religious traditions, Santeria evolved in Cuba.
Santeria is more organised and governed as compared to witchcraft (Between.net, 2015). It is mixed, with Catholic religion and the presence of priests gives it a sense of order as they preside over functions as compared to witchcraft mostly seen as a way of harming people (Mastin, 2015).
Spells are also done in Santeria although rarely as most of their spells are hard to find let alone perform on the other hand witchcraft is seen as largely linked with many spells (Spengler, 2015).
Santeria also adopted the names of many Catholic saints so as to cover for their practises that were forbidden likewise witchcraft is also viewed by many as evil, and most of their practises are seen as illegal and harmful.
Most of the research done in the past on Santeria may contain large inconsistencies due to the bias of researchers (Robinson, 2015). Santeria is completely different from witchcraft even though they may have some similarities. Similarities include use of magic and belief in several gods who command different aspects.
They also both originated from native African culture. On the other hand, they have different aspects as Santeria adopted the use of Catholic saints, and there is a supreme being. In witchcraft, such aspects do not exist.
