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.
For more information:
Paul
– Omo Obatala
Espiritista
~ Santero
305-975-1171
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