Santeria Vocabulary ~ English

Santería Vocabulary

English

A

aboricha.  Someone who is partially but not fully initiated into Santería. For example, a person who has received the warriors or an eleke from a godparent in a formal ceremony is an aboricha.

achabbá. Metal charm bracelet or anklet with tools, machetes, keys and other pieces of metal hanging from it; sometimes worn by priests of Ogún.

achó. A piece of cloth given to an Orichá as an offering, or used in a cleansing ritual. For example, achó funfún, white cloth, can be used to cover the head of a person who has had a rogación de cabeza.

adimú.  Type of ebbó or offering made to the Orichas, consisting of raw or cooked foods.  Each Oricha has his or her favorite foods.

ahijado/a.  Godchild in the Santería religion.

ajá.  A broom made out of palm fibers traditionally used by Babalú Ayé. It sweeps away sickness and bad energy.

aleyo.  An outsider to the religion. One who has not received the elekes or warriors or anything else from a godparent.  Some aleyos occasionally see Santeros for consultas or to work through a specific problem.

amalá. One of Changó's favorite foods, a thick stew made of corn meal, okra and sometimes mutton.

Añá.  The Oricha who lives inside the sacred batá drum.

arayé.  Tragedy, arguments, discord.  One of the osorbos.aro, arun.  Disease. One of the osorbos.

ataná.  A candle, used during a Santería ceremony. Often two candles (ataná melli) are used.

ayé.  Earth, the part inhabited by living things.

B

babaloricha. May be shortened to babalocha. A santero who has initiated others into the religion.

babalawo.  A practitioner of the Regla de Ifa; priest of Orula.

bembé. Drumming ceremony in honor of the Orichás, also called a tambor in Cuba.

C

caballo. Literally, horse. This term is used to describe the person who is possessed by an Orichá during a trance.  The Orichá mounts a human being and uses him or her as a medium to communicate with others in the room.

camino.  Path or avatar of the Oricha. Most Orichas have many paths, meaning they can take different forms and be represented in different ways.  During initiation, when Santeros receive the Orichas, they learn which paths their Orichas take.

canastillero.  Originally, a china cabinet where the soperas with the Orichás were kept; today the canastillero can be any piece of furniture used as an altar in the home where the soperas of the Orichás are kept.

cascarilla. Also called efún.  Powder made of finely ground white eggshells, used in many Santería rituals.

consulta.  The divination process carried out by a Santero/a or Babalawo for a client.  Through the cowrie shells or epuele chain, the Orichas speak to the client. Registro is a synonym of consulta.

D

derecho.  Payment to a santero for a service. May also be a gift to a godparent on the anniversary of the godparent's initiation.

dilogún.  Cowrie shells that have been consecrated for use by an Oloricha to communicate with the Orichas.

E

ebbó. Also spelled ebó.  Sacrifice or offering made to an Oricha. Ebbó takes many forms, and is normally determined through a consulta with the dilogún or epuele.

ebbó misi.  Spiritual bath, for protection or purification. May include herbs, flowers, plants, cocoa butter, cascarilla, or other ingredients determined through a consulta.

efun.  See cascarilla.

egun.  Spirits of the dead; the ancestors.

eleke.  Beaded necklace in the color of specific Orichas. The elekes are blessed and given by a godparent after a ceremony. They represent the aché of the Oricha and are sacred.

emí. Sacred breath, what gives us life on earth.

epuele.  Also spelled ekuele. Used by a babalawo for divination, it is a short chain to which 8 pieces of shell (usually coconut) have been attached. The babalawo throws the epuele and notes the patterns that fall.

eyá, ellá. Dried fish, used as an offering to some Orichás.eyioko.  One of the odu of dilogún divination; corresponds to the number 2.

eyiunle.  See unle.

ewe. Herb used in Santería ceremonies. Each Orichás is associated with numerous herbs that are used to prepare omiero. Herbs can also be used for medicinal purposes.

F

foribale.  The formal salute a practitioner of Santería gives to the Orichás or sometimes a godparent or distinguished elder; literally it means to put the head to the ground. Depending on which orichá owns the head of the Santero/a, the individual may lie face down with arms extended back to the sides, or lie first on the left side then the right side, with the arm crooked at the waist.

G

güemilere.  A party held in honor of the Orichás, not limited to initiates. The sacred batá drums aren't used. There is usually dancing, drinking and eating in abundance to show gratitude to the Orichás for good fortune.

guerreros.  See Warriors.

I

ibaé.  A word used when speaking the name aloud of any ancestor who has died; it's meant to honor the dead and to wish them the best in the other world.

iddé.  A beaded bracelet worn by initiates in Santería. The iddé must be consecreated in a ceremony before it can be worn.

igbodú.  Sacred room where initiation into Santería takes place.

ikú. Death.  The worst of the osorbos. Ikú is sometimes personified and can wander on earth looking for people to take into the realm of the dead.

ilé.  House of worship where practitioners of Santería perform ceremonies.

iré.  Blessings, good energy, good luck.  In divination with the dilogún (shells), the santero determines if his client's reading comes with iré or osorbo (bad luck).irosun.  One of the odu of dilogún divination; corresponds to the number 4.

iruke.  Horse tail fashioned into a short whip, which is used by Obatalá and Oyá when dancing.  It's used to chase away bad energies. Obatalá's is white and Oyá's is black.

iwá.  A human being's character.  Iwá reré is good character. It's what we should all strive for.

iworo. Another word for Santero.

iyabó (iyawó).  An novice initiate in Santería. In most cases, this period lasts one year, and the iyabó has many restrictions on his/her behavior during that time.

iyaboraje.  The one year period following initiation into Santería.

iyaloricha. May be shortened to Iyalocha.  A santera who has initiated others into the religion.

K

kariocha. The initiation ceremony in Santería. In Cuba, people also use the phrases hacer santo (to make saint) and asentar santo (to seat the saint) to refer to initiation.

kincamaché.  Health. Often used as an expression to wish for good health.

L

letra. The letter or sign marked in divination by the way the shells fall on the mat.  The letra is also called an odu or oddun. The letra carries with it a complex series of patakís (sacred stories), refranes (proverbs), pieces of advice, messages from the Orichás, and suggested offerings that can be made to the Orichás or the egun (spirits of the dead) to ensure good fortune.

limpieza. Spiritual cleansing, spiritual bath.

Lucumí. Also spelled Lukumí.  Refers to the Yoruba people who were taken to Cuba as slaves and their descendants. Santería is also known as the Lucumí religion.

M

madrina. Godmother in the Santería religion.

mariwó.  palm fibers or fronds.

moyugbar.  To pray to the ancestors and the Orichás before any ceremony, to ask for permission, blessings, and to show respect to godparents.

O

oba. Title of respect for an oriate.  See oriate.

obara.  One of the odu of dilogún divination; corresponds to the number 6.

obi.  Coconut.  Used in many santería ceremonies, or as an offering to an Oricha.

ocana.  One of the odu of dilogún divination; corresponds to the number 1.

ocha. A shortened form of Oricha.

oche, oshe. The double headed ax that Changó carries.

oché/ oshé.  One of the odu of dilogún divination; corresponds to the number 5.

ochinchín.  Ochún's favorite food, it's eggs cooked with dried shrimp and chard.

odí.  One of the odu of dilogún divination; corresponds to the number 3.

odu, oddun.  The letter or sign marked in divination by the way the shells fall on the mat.  Also called letra.

ofoché.  Magical powders, used for witchcraft.

ogo.  Witchcraft.  One of the sources of osorbo.

ogundá.  One of the odu of dilogún divination; corresponds to the number 3.

ofún.  One of the odu of dilogún divination; corresponds to the number 10.

ojuani.  One of the odu of dilogún divination; corresponds to the number 11.

oloricha.  An initiated priest or priestess of Santería.  Also called a Santero (male) or Santera (female).

omi.  Water, as a libation offered to the Orichas.  Omi tuto means "fresh water."

omiero. Sacred water mixed with herbs and other natural ingredients, used during the initiation ceremony to "birth" the Orichás. The omiero is prepared in a complex ceremony under the supervision of an elder, accompanied by prayers.

omilasa.  Holy water, from a Catholic church. Because in Cuba Santería is syncretized with Catholicism, it's commonly believed that holy water from a church has protective and curative powers.

omo.  Son; used to indicate which Oricha owns the head, as in Omo Changó (son of Changó).  Daughter is omi, as in Omi Ochún (daughter of Ochún). 

oñí.  Honey, used in various cleansing rituals, also offered to Ochún as her favorite treat.

oriate.  Santero/a who is regarded in the community as a master of ceremonies. To become an oriate requires many years of intensive study. The oriate directs and leads initiation ceremonies, for example. An oriate is also called Oba (chief).

Orún.  Heaven.

osá.  One of the odu of dilogún divination; corresponds to the number 9.

osorbo, osobbo.  Bad luck, obstacles, downfall. In divination with the dilogún (shells), the santero determines if his client's reading comes with osorbo or iré (blessings.)

otá, otán. Stone which symbolically receives the aché of an Orichá during the initiation ceremony; typically the stones are kept in soperas (soup tureens).

oti.  Cane alcohol used in many Santería ceremonies.

owó.  Money, wealth, good luck in business. A form of iré.

oyugbona. Also spelled yugbona and yubona. The second godmother or godfather in an initiation ceremony. The oyugbona has most of the responsibility of caring for the new initiate during the week-long initiation ceremony.

P

padrino.  Godfather in the Santería religion.

pataki.  Sacred story or myth involving God, the Orichas, the creation of the world, or other important religious topics.  Patakis traditionally exist in oral form and are taught to godchildren by godparents. They can be used during a consulta to illustrate a moral point.

R

registro.  See consulta.

regla de Ifá.  Ifá refers to a sect of male priests who are devoted to Orula. Ifá is parallel to but not technically a part of Regla de Ocha. Some males are initiated first into regla de Ocha and later pass into regla de Ifá. Ifá is only for males (in Cuba).

regla de Ocha.  Ocha is a shortened form of Oricha.   Regla de Ocha is another name for Santería. Regla means rule or way of doing something.

rogación de cabeza.  Head cleansing, a ceremony carried out to strengthen, calm, or protect the head (orí).

S

sopera. Soup tureen, used to house the otá (stones) that symbolically represent the Orichás on a home altar. Originally the Orichás were kept in gourds but during the 19th century in Cuba it became fashionable to put them in porcelain soperas, and to store the soperas in a china cabinet in the home.

U

Unle/ Eyeunle.  One of the odu of dilogún divination; corresponds to the number 8.

W

warriors. Refers to Eleguá, Ogun, Ochosi and Osun.  These four Orichas together are called the warriors.  It's common to receive the warriors before being fully initiated into Santería. Those who have the warriors are "medio sentados" or half-way initiated into Santería.

Y

yugbona.  See oyugbona.

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