Beliefs
Santería followers believe that one God created the universe and that the world is cared for by lesser divine beings known as orishas. Similar to ancient Greek gods, the orishas represent various forces of nature along with certain human characteristics—for example, Yemayá is the orisha of the sea and motherhood.
The orishas are thought to perform miracles for adherents, and can also be blamed for unfortunate events. If an individual has consistently bad luck, they must appease their orisha to achieve harmony and balance in their life. The followers, however, can’t communicate directly with these divine beings. Santería priests, known as babalawos, act as intermediaries in the religion. They interpret the will of the gods using divination, which involves an elaborate ceremony that often includes rum, drums, cigars, and animal sacrifice. The relationship with the Santeros is also beneficial to the orishas—they only continue to exist if humans worship them. The orishas are thus not immortal, but depend on human devotion and sacrifice to survive.
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