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Believers of Santerí place their faith in the orishas. The orishas are not as powerful or as omnipotent as their predominant God, Olodumare. "Olodumare is the ultimate destiny of all creation; from him all existence comes forth, and to him it all returns. His breath is this force, this pulse of life and death."" (Murphy 1992: 7) Olodumare is the source of ashe. "Ashe is the blood of cosmic life, the power of Olodumare toward life, strength, and righteousness. Ashe is like a divine current that finds many conductors of greater or lesser receptivity."" (Murphy 1992:8) The orishas are lesser gods who "help you fulfill your destiny. To do so, you must establish a personal relation with an orisha, and you do so through devotion, sacrifices, divination, and spiritual possession."" (Figueredo 2002: 170) .
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Depending on the particular orisha that they wish to please, Santeros use certain colors and certain animals and play particular drumbeats during their rituals. The music is of great importance because it helps to convince the orisha into "mounting" or taking over the priest. They hold elaborate ceremonies called bembés to invoke their orishas. Each orisha has its own drum rhythm, song, and dance step. In performing the music and choreography of a particular orisha, a worshiper tries to persuade the orisha to descend upon the ceremony and possess him or her. An orisha that temporarily takes over the body of a worshiper, an act often described as "mounting," is able to participate in the festivities, accepting food offerings and giving advice. The orisha eventually takes leave of his or her human medium, who then regains consciousness without recalling the possession.
"Orishas need food in order to live. At an altar, fruits and vegetables are places before a statue of the orisha. Sometimes animals are sacrificed. When this occurs, the sacrifice must be performed with speed and minimum pain to the animal.
What is Santerí? ... First of all, Santerí is not a 'primitive' religion. ... This is how the religion came to be known as Santerí. The memory of this period of our history is also why many in our religion regard the term Santerí as a derogatory. ... La Santerí is famous for its 'magic'. ...
