A lot of people seek Santeria as any other religion. People usually follow it because it’s a religion that their ancestors practiced and want to keep their values. Different types of people follow it from doctors, lawyers, politicians, thieves to pimps. All those who seek the power to control their own lives and want to lead them in accord with the deepest parts of their beings are candidates for initiation into Santeria. As the traditional belief systems of the Western world cease to provide a direct emotional involvement with the mysteries of life, more and more people are turning to the throbbing of the Santeria drums.
Santeria has no written canon. Its traditions are passed on orally to the initiates. The initiation to Santeria is the “ asentado” ceremony which is when you get your Orisha also known as your parent. The rituals of Santeria are you first get your necklaces also known as Elekes. Then you get your warriors, Elegua, Oggun, Ochosi, and Ozun, which the purpose is to resolve conflicts in a person’s life and to provide protection. The third part is Ifa, then Olokun and then rayamiento. The ceremony last for about 7 days. Once it’s over the sacrifice of the animals happen. The killing of the animals establishes a strong bond between the novice and the Orishas. The same benefits extend to those that participate in the sacrifices. "You have to feed the Orishas. The blood gives strength to the Orisha and the novice. It makes you stronger. People can't do bad 'work' against you.” Then for a year you have to wear white clothes and reflect on your life. You can’t visit sick people or go to funerals. It seems like a lot but overall it’s the time you need to reflect on your life and to think about how to live a better one.
Santeria is usually viewed as a bad thing. The media in the United States tend to show Santeria as a bad religion or the devils religion. As seen in movies people supposedly use Santeria to make people fall in love or to harm someone with witchcraft, but in reality that’s not the case. In 1993, the issue of animal sacrifice was taken to the U.S Supreme Court in the case of Church of Lukumi Babalu Aye v. City of Hialeah. The Supreme Court ruled that animal cruelty laws targeted specifically at Yoruba were unconstitutional; the Yoruba practice of animal sacrifice has seen no significant legal challenges since then.Those that do not practice it, don’t really know much about the religion and base their beliefs on what others say.
There has also been a few highly publicized cases where injuries allegedly occurred during Lukumi rituals. One such case reported by the NY Times took place on January 18, 1998 in Sayville, where a 17 year old was suffocated to death with a plastic bag, by her mother and sister, after attempting an exorcism to free her from demons. In the Santeria religion there is no such thing as demons. But the police found the women chanting and praying over the prostate body. They believed it had to do with her religion. But in reality it was more due to her insanity.
In the end Santeria is a well commonly known religion in the Latin communities all over the world and isn’t a bad thing to practice. It originated in Nigeria and has traveled with the African slaves. It’s a part of who those people are and is like any other religion a part of their culture. It's a way to remember their ancestors and remember the past, as to looking forward to the future.
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