Santería
Santería is an Afro-Cuban religious complex that originated from the cultural retention of African traditions among enslaved Yoruba individuals in the Americas, specifically during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Known as "the way of the saints," it blends Yoruba beliefs with Roman Catholic and Native Indian practices, forming a unique spiritual system that serves as a functional adaptation for many Cubans. The religion involves various rituals and ceremonies, including a rebirth process for initiates, who often adopt a new name and wear white clothing for a year following baptism.
As Cuban immigrants relocated to the United States after Fidel Castro's revolution, they brought these rich traditions with them, using them as a means of cultural preservation and coping with acculturation challenges. Santería has since found a place within the broader spiritual landscape of diverse religions practiced by various Black West Indian communities in the U.S. Despite facing stigma and public misconceptions, Santería has continued to grow, with estimates suggesting the number of practitioners in the U.S. could reach hundreds of thousands, if not millions. The faith remains significant for maintaining Afro-Cuban cultural identity, particularly in urban centers like New York City, New Jersey, Connecticut, and South Florida, where large communities of practitioners are located.
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Santería
This Afro-Cuban religious “complex” is a cultural retention with origins in the African diaspora to the Americas. The basic tenets, rituals, practices, and associated institutional mechanisms derive from the Yoruba priests and priestesses of the orishas who were enslaved at the close of the eighteenth and during the early decades of the nineteenth centuries. Santería, “the way of the saints,” is an admixture of Yoruba and other African practices with Roman Catholic traditions developed as a functional adaptation by many Cubans.
The Cuban immigrants who entered the United States after Fidel Castro’s successful revolution in their homeland brought these religious practices with them. These rituals enjoy special significance as part of the new immigrants’ coping repertoire, enabling them to adjust better to acculturation in the US. The practices of Santería are part of the larger spiritualistic belief system of other Black West Indians (Jamaicans, Trinidadians, Haitians, Puerto Ricans, and Guyanese) who immigrated to the US. As these immigrants began to live in urban spatial proximity and strive to maintain and regain their African cultural heritage, they and those already living in the US adopted Santería.
However, those practicing Santería in the US still face stigma in the twenty-first century, dealing with public misconceptions regarding some of the traditions and practices of the religion, which lies outside the dominant mainstream monotheistic faiths practiced in the US. Still, Santería continued to grow and evolve as a faith. The practice of Santería remained a way for individuals to stay connected to their Afro-Cuban culture, but also reflected the diverse religions practiced by Americans in the twenty-first century. Although difficult to ascertain the exact number of Americans practicing Santería, scholars have estimated it to be at least in the hundreds of thousands and, possibly, in the millions. These numbers were difficult to confirm as Santería remained confined to small communities, adherents often practiced a more dominant religion concurrently, and many continued to keep their practice of Santería a secret, fearing they would face prejudice for their beliefs. Large communities of practitioners could be found in New York City, New Jersey, Connecticut, and South Florida.
Bibliography
Clark, Mary Ann. Santería: Correcting the Myths and Uncovering the Realities of a Growing Religion. Westport: Praeger, 2007.
Cramer, Benjamin W. "Santería." American Countercultures: An Encyclopedia of Nonconformists, Alternative Lifestyles, and Radical Ideas in U.S. History. Edited by Gina Renée Misiroglu. Armonk: Routledge, 2014, pp. 638–39.
"Factsheet: The Santería Tradition in Cuba." US Commission on International Religious Freedom, www.uscirf.gov/publication/factsheet-santeria-tradition-cuba. Accessed 6 Oct. 2024.
Fernández Olmos, Margarite, and Lizabeth Paravisini-Gebert. Creole Religions of the Caribbean: An Introduction from Vodou and Santería to Obeah and Espiritismo. New York: New York UP, 2011.
Murrell, Nathaniel Samuel. "Santeria and Palo Monte: Cuban Religion of the Orisha and Drums." Afro-Caribbean Religions: An Introduction to Their Historical, Cultural, and Sacred Traditions. Philadelphia: Temple UP, 2010, pp. 93–155.
"Santería Grows in Popularity in Cuba Amid Less Stigma and Economic Changes." NBC News, 10 Apr. 2023, www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/santeri-grows-popularity-cuba-less-stigma-economic-changes-rcna78985. Accessed 6 Oct. 2024.
"'Santeria:' La Regla de Ocha-Ifa and Lukumi." The Pluralism Project, pluralism.org/%E2%80%9Csanter%C3%ADa%E2%80%9D-the-lucumi-way. Accessed 6 Oct. 2024.
Wirtz, Kristina. Ritual, Discourse, and Community in Cuban Santería: Speaking A Sacred World. Gainesville: UP of Florida, 2007.