*Pagan Daily Devotionals*

*Pagan Daily Devotionals*

*Santeria*



I've featured a couple Santeria orishas in past thoughts and got thinking that maybe folks didn't really know that much about Santeria in the first place. It's not as common a path as say Wicca or Celtic Reconstructionism, after all. Here's a little introduction.

Santeria is often confused with Vodou, as they are similar and both have
African origins. Slaves who were brought from Africa, brought their religious
beliefs with them. In order to keep their traditions alive in their new world,
the old beliefs were blended with Catholicism. Saints were mixed with orishas,
creating a completely new system of faith that still exists today.

In Santeria, there is one supreme God (whose name is Olodumare) who is a
distant figure and does not directly relate to the affairs of mankind. So
between Olodumare and man, are the Orishas. The Orishas are often referred to as
the Santeria Gods, but they are not Gods anymore than the Catholic Saints are.
It was this concept of one God with many intermediaries that made it easy for
the slaves to blend their beliefs with Catholicism.