Santeria and Spiritism

Paper Summary:

This paper traces the history, origins, and traditions of Santeria. The influence that Christianity and Yoruba traditions had on Santeria is described, and the manner in which they were incorporated into the Santeria religion, known as syncretism, is explained in detail. Finally, the paper traces the origins and philosophy of Spiritism and explains its influence on Santeria.

From the Paper:

"Santeria and its Puerto Rican variant, often referred to as La Mesa Blanca, are both extremely unusually and intriguing religions. Santeria descends from various traditional religious practices associated with the Yoruba region and peoples of Africa. The Yoruba religion was transferred to Cuba during the European trade in African slaves during the colonial period, as many of the slaves came from this African region. Although many of the most salient aspects of the source religion of the Yoruba are preserved in Santeria, it has also developed into its own and unique tradition. The uniqueness of Santeria is largely due to the syncretism, or mixing, of Santeria with other religious practices. The most famous syncretic combination in Santeria is that between the Yoruba tradition and Christianity, specifically the Catholic tradition. In this practice, santeros conflated the traditional Gods, known as the Orishas, with the Catholic saints."

More papers on Santeria and Spiritism:

• Essay # 49499 : "Santeria: The Ways of the Saint"
• Book Review # 24227 : "Santeria: The Religion" by Migene Gonzalez-Wippler"
• Essay # 58552 : "The Religion of Santeria"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: