Lukumí, Regla de Ocha or Afro-Cuba, most widely known as Santeria, (Santería in Spanish) is a set of related religious systems that superficially seem to fuse Catholic beliefs with traditional Yorùbá beliefs. It was historically practiced primarily by descendants of west African slaves in Cuba, Brazil, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Panama, and in Hispanic population centers in the United States such as Florida, New York, and California, but its popularity is spreading to all corners of the globe, to all different kinds of people. It was originally referred to as Santería (literally, Way of the Saints), a derisive term applied by the Spanish to mock followers' seeming overdevotion to the saints and their perceived neglect of God. The slaves' Christian masters did not allow them to practice their various west African religions. The slaves found a way around this by masking the Orishas as Christian saints while maintaining their original identities. The masters thought their slaves had become good Christians and were praising the saints, when in actuality they were continuing their traditional practices. Santería is often thought by outsiders to be a polytheistic religion, but it is not. All true followers of Lukumí know that there is only one God and the Orishas are just expressions of the divine that people can comprehend. Religion, a term sometimes used interchangeably with faith, is commonly defined as belief concerning the supernatural, sacred, or divine, and the moral codes, practices and institutions associated with such belief. ... The Yorùbá are the largest ethnic group in Nigeria, comprising approximately 26 percent of that countrys total population, and numbering about close to 50 million individuals throughout the region of West Africa. ... World map showing location of Africa A satellite composite image of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest continent in both area and population, after Asia. ... The word slave has at least two meanings: People who are owned by others, and live to serve them without pay. ... State nickname: Everglade State, Sunshine State Other U.S. States Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Governor Jeb Bush Official languages English Area 170,451 km² (22nd)  - Land 137,374 km²  - Water 30,486 km² (17. ... State nickname: Empire State Other U.S. States Capital Albany Largest city New York Governor George Pataki Official languages None Area 141,205 km² (27th)  - Land 122,409 km²  - Water 18,795 km² (13. ... State nickname: The Golden State Other U.S. States Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger Official languages English Area 410,000 km² (3rd)  - Land 404,298 km²  - Water 20,047 km² (4. ... General definition of saint In general, the term Saint refers to someone who is exceptionally virtuous and holy. ... The term God is ordinarily used to designate a singular, universal Supreme Being. ... This article is about the religious people known as Christians. ... General definition of saint In general, the term Saint refers to someone who is exceptionally virtuous and holy. ... This article is about the type of spirit. ...

Lukumí ritual is highly secretive and primarily transmitted orally. Known practices include animal offering, ecstatic dance, and sung invocations to the Orishas. Chickens are the most common form of sacrifice; their blood is offered to the Orisha. Drum music and dancing are used to induce a trance state in specific participants, who may become possessed by an Orisha who then speaks through them. One's ancestors, egun, are held in high esteem in Lukumí. ... Binomial name Gallus gallus (Linnaeus, 1758) A chicken is a type of domesticated bird which is usually raised as a type of poultry. ... This article is about the type of spirit. ...

Many animal rights activists take issue with the Lukumí practice of animal sacrifice, claiming that it is cruel. Followers of Lukumí point out that the killings are conducted in the same manner as many food animals are slaughtered and are not needlessly sadistic and that the priests charged with doing the sacrifice are trained in humane ways to kill the animals. Additionally, the animal is cooked and eaten afterwards. (The similarities between Lukumí sacrifice and other forms of slaughter for food may be of little comfort to animal rights supporters or activists who are vegetarian.) In 1993, the United States Supreme Court ruled in Church of Lukumi Babalu Aye v. City of Hialeah that animal cruelty laws targeted specifically at Lukumí were unconstitutional, and the practice has seen no significant legal challenges since then. The group is the frequent target of animal rights organizations such as PETA. The group does not advocate human sacrifice. Animal rights, or animal liberation, is the movement to protect (non-human) animals from being exploited by humans. ... Sacrifice is the practice of offering food, or the lives of animals or people to the gods, as an act of propitiation or worship. ... For animals adapted to eat primarily plants, sometimes referred to as vegetarian animals, see Herbivore. ... 1993 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003) Events Media:January January 1 - Czechoslovakia divides. ... The Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C. The Supreme Court of the United States, located in Washington, D.C., is the highest court (see supreme court) in the United States; that is, it has ultimate judicial authority within the United States to interpret and decide questions of federal law, including... The Church of Lukumi Babalu Aye came up after Employment Division v. ... Animal rights, or animal liberation, is the movement to protect (non-human) animals from being exploited by humans. ... This article describes the SI prefix peta. ... Sacrifice (is a Middle English verb meaning to make sacred, from Old French, from Latin sacrificium : sacer, sacred; sacred + facere, to make) is commonly known as the practice of offering food, or the lives of animals or people to the gods, as an act of propitiation or worship. ...

External links

• Full text of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Church of the Lukumi Babalu Aye, Inc. v. City of Hialeah (http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?navby=case&court=us&vol=508&page=520)
• www.travel-impressions (http://www.travel-impressions.de/cuba/cuba_people/santeria1.htm) Santeria Photos
• ReligiousTolerance.org Page on Santeria (http://www.religioustolerance.org/santeri.htm)
• [1] (http://www.eleda.org)

Santeria is also the name of a reggae-ska fusion band from Munich, Germany. Reggae is an African Caribbean style of music developed on the island of Jamaica and is closely linked to the religion Rastafarianism, though not universally popular among its members. ... This page is about ska, the musical style. ... Munich: Frauenkirche and Town Hall steeple Munich (German: München pronunciation) is the state capital of the German Bundesland of Bavaria. ...

Santeria is also the name of a song by the ska band Sublime. Sublime (circa 1995) left to right: Bud Gaugh, Brad Nowell and Eric Wilson, front: Louie-Dog (Nowells beloved pet dalmatian) Sublime was a garage punk band from Long Beach, California, playing a mix of reggae and dub, ska, punk, and hip hop. ...