Santeria
SanteriaWhen one thinks of Santeria, images of black magic, sorcery, and barbarism come to mind. Media portrayal, such as the newspaper headline "Blood Cults Spread through U.S.", have served only to enforce these negative misconceptions often linked to Santeria. As a result of it, people outside of the culture view it as "barbaric", arguing that it is just a cover up for the sensationalized killing and sacrificing of animals. Since people who are outside of the religion have a difficult time accepting Santeria for what it is, the followers of it have chosen to keep it hidden from the public eye in order to keep themselves and their family members safe from persecutors. However, regardless of common misconceptions people might have about Santeria, it is a legitimate religion that has managed to stay strong for over three hundred years.
Santeria started in the 17th century by a nation of people known as the Yoruba. They were brought over as slaves to Cuba to work the plantations and harvest the islands sugar crop. The Yoruba's were forced to disguise their religion. To do so they worshiped their Orishas (or spirits. The Yoruba believe that for every action there is a Orisha), beneath the images of Catholic Saints. When the Yoruba people were brought over from Nigeria they were baptized as Roman Catholics. Although they were forced to accept Catholic beliefs they worshiped their Orishas according to Roman Catholic Rites. This way of worship soon became the accepted way to practice their "forbidden religion" and developed into Santeria; the way of the saints.
The religion of Santeria has brought much attention to itself because of its rituals of animal sacrifices. The sacrifices occur to mark events such as birth, marriage, death as well as for the initiation of a new member into the church or "family". The Santeria word for sacrifice is Ebo. It is this practice which has brought so much negative attention to the religion. Sacrifices are made to the Orisha to ensure that it will continue to be powerful. Animals that are commonly sacrificed are duck, chickens, goats, doves, pigeons and turtles. Many Animal Rights activist have tried to put a stop to the animal sacrifices.
In Hialeah Florida, 1987, townspeople openly showed disgust for a mans religion and petitioned his religious beliefs. The man, Ernesto Pichardo, openly admitted being a Santero, Santerian priest, and that he himself had taken part in probably thousands of animal sacrifices. "The city's leaders responded by passing a string of ordinances that, if followed, would have severely weakened Santeria's rituals." Ernesto argued that "You can kill a turkey in your backyard, put it on a table, say a prayer and serve it for Thanksgiving. But if we pray over a turkey, kill it, then eat it, we violate the law."
The case reached The United States Supreme Court in July 1993. It ruled in favor of the Santeria church in the case entitled "First Church...
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