The Santería Religion and South Florida

Santería is a newly recognized religion in America. Many Americans practicing more traditional religions, such as Catholicism and Judaism, believe that Santeria's approach is very strange and quite ambiguous. The advantage of our society is that the sacrifices of popular animals in Santeria may not be ethical or discomforting. One reason for this reaction may be the lack of understanding of this religion in our society. Many people who do not practice this religion automatically believe that religion is a terrible cult and people are only killing animals.

The discussion of Santelea may be confusing for several reasons. First of all, "Santería" is a common name for religion. More appropriately, the religion is called Letcia de Oucha, or sometimes simply Ocha, which means "the law of Orisha" which refers to the gods of the Sunteria. Other names in this religion are Lucumi, African Yoruba, meaning "friends" and La · Legra · Lukmi. Yoruba is mainly African language used in part of Togo and Benin in Nigeria. More complicated is that the worship of Orisha and Kogami is also a feature of Brazilian religion, Kandomble, very much like Sunteria. African religious beliefs are brought to the new world and evolve into different religious traditions in different regions.

The two religions in Central America originate, at least in part, from African religious beliefs. When religious beliefs of African slaves and indigenous peoples and other immigrants were integrated into these islands, these religions, Vodou and Santería appeared in Haiti and Cuba respectively. The result of this cultural contact is the fusion of two major religions that have attracted many believers in modern times. However, we can hardly calculate the number of experts in Vodou and Santería. Most people engaged in these religious beliefs are also engaged in other religions, especially Catholics who are likely to regard themselves as Catholics. In addition, the organization of both religions is very loose. In the case of Santería, the religion has various names in various regions including Brazilian Candombleí. Because it is suppressed in Cuba, it is difficult to reach the exact number.