In Matanzas…
Here’s a little about Santería…
Santería is a religion in Cuba. It’s called an Afro-Cuban religion, because it is a mixture of African beliefs with Christian beliefs that first started in Cuba.
When African people were forced to come to Cuba to work as slaves, they brought their own religions with them.
Lots of the African people who were brought to Cuba were Yoruba people, who live mostly in Nigeria. Yoruba culture has a religion called Ifa, which many people brought with them to Cuba.
Over time the beliefs of Ifa and Catholicism (which the Spanish slave owners believed in) came together, and created a new religion called Santería.
Lots of people who practice Santería in Cuba wear white clothes, and often carry white umbrellas. Santería celebrations are led by a Santero, who is usually a man.
Activity 7: Let’s learn about Orishas
Orishas are spirits in the religion of Santeria. They were sent to help people be happy in different ways. Each orisha has a different speciality, a little bit like a saint in the Christian religion.
For example, the orisha called Yemaya is the orisha of the sea.
We’ve got a simple activity to learn a little more about some of the orishas of Santeria. You’ll need to do a bit of research.
Look at page X of the worksheets. There’s a crossword to fill in, based on the names of different orishas.
You’ll need to research some of the different orisha names, and what they are the orisha for. It’s probably best to use a search engine like Google to help you.
top tip: Try to use the exact words in the crossword clues. For example, type in “who is the orisha of…”. You should be able to find all the answers easily.
Sometimes different spellings get used for orishas. We’ve made a list of all the names in the crossword below - make sure to use our spellings, otherwise they won’t fit in the crossword!
The orisha names in this crossword are: