The colors red and black or white and black are his and codify his contradictory nature. In particular, Elegba stands at the crossroads of the human and the divine, as he is child-like messenger between the two worlds.
The Seven African Powers, also known as the Orishas, are spirits from the Supreme Creator in African religion. These spirits are thought to give guidance for life issues and problems. Modern Santeria, Voodoo, and other Caribbean traditions still value this practice today.
Another common initiation is the intitiation into the Seven African Powers (Elegua, Obatala, Oggun, Chango, Yemaya, Oshun, and Orunmilla).
Yoruba tradition often says that there are 400 + 1 orishas, which is associated with a sacred number. Other sources suggest that the number is “as many as you can think of, plus one more – an innumerable number”. Different oral traditions refer to 400, 700, or 1,440 orishas.
Traditionally Ogun’s colours are green, red, and black. And black being one of the colours of Ogun, Maleficent wears it well.
ỌbaShe is traditionally identified as the senior wife of Shango (the third king of the Oyo Empire and an Orisha).Ọba (orisha)
colspan=“2”>Ọba |
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Elegua (Yoruba: Èṣù-Ẹlẹ́gbára, also spelled Eleggua; known as Eleguá in Latin America and Spanish-speaking Caribbean islands) is an Orisha, a deity of roads in the religions of Santería, Umbanda, Quimbanda, Holy Infant of Atocha, and Candomblé.Elegua.
colspan=“2”>Elegua Èṣù-Ẹlẹ́gbára |
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Their participation in creation is given in another version, however, where the Orisha Obatala separates the land from the waters and Olodumare then sends down 17 Orishas to complete the work. 16 Orishas are male and the 17th, Oshun, is not only female but the youngest among them.
Oshun’s favorite thing to eat is honey, and her contagious laugh can either put you under her spell or send shivers down your spine… And despite her generosity and irresistible charm, this Orisha is also the most dangerous when crossed—Oshun is as sweet as honey, but her honey can also turn sour.
Number 11 is considered to be the number of the Ibeji. This is because the twins are complimenting as well as opposing forces. One Ibeji holds the human personality and the other holds the spiritual personality.
Oshun, also spelled Osun, an orisha (deity) of the Yoruba people of southwestern Nigeria. Oshun is commonly called the river orisha, or goddess, in the Yoruba religion and is typically associated with water, purity, fertility, love, and sensuality.
Sango is regarded as the most powerful god in Africa and one of the most popular gods around the world. He is the god of vengeance, protection, social order and more. His symbol is a double headed-axe.
Generally speaking, African religions hold that there is one creator God, the maker of a dynamic universe. Myths of various African peoples relate that, after setting the world in motion, the Supreme Being withdrew, and he remains remote from the concerns of human life.
Owuo is the god of Death in the Asante and Akan mythology of West Ghana and the Krachi peoples of East Ghana and Togo. He is represented with the Adinkra symbol of a ladder.
Hunters and blacksmiths avoid eating or witnessing the mating of blacksnakes. Other important sacrificial offerings to Ogun are the Clarias submarginatus (a species of catfish), alligator pepper, kola nuts, palm wine and red palm oil, small rats, roosters, salt, snails, tortoise, water, and yams.
Ceremonies and Ritual Colors
Osun is the orisha of the river. Her devotees leave her offerings and perform ceremonies at bodies of fresh water such as rivers, streams and canals. She is associated with the colors white, yellow, gold, and sometimes coral.
Traditional Yoruba Week
Day | Day Name in Yoruba |
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Day 1 | Obatala (Sopanna, Iyaami, and the Egungun) |
Day 2 | Orunmila (Esu, Ifá and Osun) |
Day 3 | Ogun (Osoosi) |
Day 4 | Sango (Oya) |
She’s associated with the numbers seven and ten, the colors blue and white, pearls, silver, conch shells, and doves. Offerings for her include molasses, coconut cakes, white flowers, and watermelon. For practicing witches, Yemaya has a fierce, nurturing, gentle energy often associated with the moon and sorcery.
An individual may over the course of a lifetime worship several Orisha. In fact, according to Bascom, most Yoruba worshiped a group of five or six deities acquired under different circumstances, and regardless of how one came to the worship of an Orisha, he or she was eligible to become a priest of that Orisha.
orisha, also spelled orixa or orisa, any of the deities of the Yoruba people of southwestern Nigeria. They are also venerated by the Edo of southeastern Nigeria; the Ewe of Ghana, Benin, and Togo; and the Fon of Benin (who refer to them as voduns).
Santeria practitioners also believe in the Christian Jesus Christ known as Olofi. Orisa, also spelled Orisha or Yemaya, a Santeria saint known as the mother to all Orisas She is thought to be a protector of women and is likened to Christianity’s Virgin Mary.
Name and role. Èṣùu partially serves as an alternate name for Eleggua, the messenger for all Orishas, and that there are 256 paths to Eleggua—each one of which is an Eshu.
Often depicted as a queenly mermaid, Yemaya is considered the Ocean Mother Goddess in Santería, an Afro-Caribbean religion practiced around the world. With anchored roots in the Yoruba religion, Yemaya was brought over to the New World by enslaved Africans as early as the 16th century.
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The deities, or gods, worshipped in the Cuban Yoruba Lucumí/Santería and Brazilian Candomblé and Umbanda religions are called Orishas (or Orixás in Brazil). They are all representatives of Olodumare, the Supreme Being, who placed the Orishas on Earth to help and supervise humankind.