Santeria y Voodoo Catholic Elements of Santeria and Voodoo are remnants of African religions brought to Latin America via the Slave trade.

Santeria ritual in Cuba http://youtu.be/Go16di77DOA

The slaves, mostly Yorubas from what is now Nigeria brought with them their Orishas (Gods), their music and their culture. Baptized into the Catholic Church, they soon identified their Orishas within the Catholic Saints and secretly worshipped them even as they assisted Catholic Mass and rituals.

The warrior King Chango became Santa Barbara god of fire, lightning and thunder the pantheon is the same in Santeria , Voodoo and Candomble (Spanish, French, Portuguese)..Creole red and white beads..lightning strikes..look for thunderstones..

Orishas of Santeria Influence of Catholicism The Roman Catholic element in Santeria is most obvious in the way Orishas are associated with Catholic Saints such as: Saint Barbara [Shangó], who embodies justice and strength, and is associated with lightning and fire Our Lady of Charity [Ochún] - the Yoruba goddess of the river, associated with water, yellow, sweets, money, and love Saint Lazarus [Babalú-Ayé] - who is associated with the sick

Some popular Orishas Obatala = Our Lady of Mercy Eleggua = St Anthony of Padua Oggun = St Peter Orunla = St Francis of Assissi Yemaya = Our lady of Regla Oshun = Our lady of Cobre

Santeros Priesthood Santeria has a priesthood that includes both men and women. Priesthood involves training and initiation. The priest may be a babalorisha (Father in the Spirit) oriyalorisha (Mother or Wife in the Spirit). The Spanish words for these priests are santero or santera. Priesthood is not a full-time paid job, and is often combined with ordinary work. A priest has 'made the saint', which means that they have been 'reborn in the spirit' and made a commitment to serve a particular Orisha. Priests have special powers because they have been 'entered' by an Orisha.

Divination Divination can be done by casting palm nuts, interpreting the fall of shells, or using a divided coconut. Santeria also includes the Yoruba divination system called Ifa, which can only be performed by a senior male priest called a babalawo. This ritual involves throwing an ekwele, a chain of 8 shaped pieces. The way in which these pieces fall is used to provide guidance. Healthcare Santeria priests have a great knowledge of traditional medicine and herbalism, and often play an important role in the health of their community.

Botanicas Material for use in Santeria rituals can be bought in specialist outlets called botánicas. These rituals can include Roman Catholic elements: In Santería, one ritual against evil eye combines a specially prepared herbal bath with three Our Fathers, Three Credos, and Three Ave Marias.

bath  The practice of Spiritual Bathing and Cleansing is as ancient as time itself.  For centuries people believe that bathing rituals would open the doors of love, prosperity, luck and happiness.  Also, it is believed that, bathing with magical scented baths will remove undesirable conditions

Sacrifices Sacrifices are performed for life events such as birth, marriage, and death. They are also used for healing. Without sacrifice the religion would die out, as sacrifice is essential for initiation into the faith community and the 'ordination' of priests. The animals are killed by cutting the carotid arteries with a single knife stroke in a similar way to other religious methods of slaughter. Animals are cooked and eaten following all Santeria rituals (except healing and death rites, where the sickness is believed to pass into the dead animal). Eating the sacrificed animal is considered a sharing with the Orisha, who only consumes the animal's blood, while the worshippers eat the meat. Sacrificial animals include chickens (the most common), pigeons, doves, ducks, guinea pigs, goats, sheep, and turtles.

Voodoo ritual in Haiti http://youtu.be/sEF5LB2JzXE

Voodoo Loa Razenga Voodoo Dolls and are mainly used for worship and fending off dangerous spirits. Vodouists believe in a distant and unknowable creator god, Bondye. As Bondye does not intercede in human affairs, vodouists direct their worship toward spirits subservient to Bondyè, called loa.   Every loa is responsible for a particular aspect of life, with the dynamic and changing personalities of each loa reflecting the many possibilities inherent to the aspects of life over which they preside. In order to navigate daily life, vodouists cultivate personal relationships with the loa through the presentation of offerings, the creation of personal altars and devotional objects, and participation in elaborate ceremonies of music, dance, and spirit possession.

dolls Understand that the doll can be used for good or evil. Even though pop culture focuses heavily on the evil aspect of voodoo dolls, they can also be used to invoke blessings and luck . The color of the pin head represents the area the pin will affect. For instance, if you want to do good for someone with a voodoo doll, yellow might help them be successful. If you want to curse someone, though, a yellow pin could turn their luck bad and make them fail. Yellow: Success White: Healing Red: Power Purple: Spirituality Green: Money Blue: Love Black: Repelling/attracting negative energy

“magic” spells Banishing spells are spells designed to get rid of an enemy, or drive away an unwanted neighbor, for example. They can be used to banish illness, emotions, banish a lover’s jealousy, and unwanted spirits as well. Banishing spells are best done during a waning moon. Banish Illness For this spell you will need a handful of salt. Take the salt and toss it into the flames of a fire. The flames will turn blue. Gaze into the blue flames and focus intently on the illness leaving. As you visualize the illness going away, repeat the following words: "Sickness burns, good health returns."  that everything you do to others will effect you, we are all connected.

Zombies Those who believe in the power of voodoo look upon the stage of being a zombie not unlike many Christians look upon the concept of purgatory. In essence, according to voodoo mythology, when people commit acts of evil during their lives they open themselves up the potential of being subjected into a state of utter limbo. An even better description of this state is that they are stripped of everything that makes one human; they are the absence of humanity. Since only a voodoo priest is capable of putting another human being into this state, the priests are invested with tremendous power. In fact, it is less the zombie itself that believers fear and dread than the priest who possesses this magical spiritual power. The real fear of the followers of voodoo is not that a zombie will arise and come looking for their brains; the real terror is that they may one day face retribution for their sins by being the target of this great spiritual transformation.

Voodoo healing while the zombies get all the press, the truth is that voodoo is actually a very positive religion. Voodoo priests conduct the zombie process, remember, as a method for spiritual retribution, not as a method for controlling the unwieldy. Voodoo priests also used their knowledge of folk medicine to step in when mainstream treatment failed. Exorcism, for instance, has almost as long a history in voodoo as it does in Catholicism; the success rate is apparently quite higher in voodoo exorcism as well.

summary Summary: 1.The main difference between Santeria and voodoo is the Spanish influence of Santeria and the French influence of voodoo. 2.“Santeria” means “way or honor of the saints,” mostly a Spanish word, while “voodoo” has an African etymology which means “moral fiber.” 3.Santeria is based on Yoruba beliefs while voodoo is based on Fon and Ewe beliefs. 4.People who practice Santeria call their spirits “orishas” (7) while the voodoo practitioners called the same spirits as “loas” (12) or “laws.” 5.The Santeria believe in seven principal orishas while voodoo has its own twelve principal loas. 6.Santeria came by the way of Cuba and Mexico while voodoo arrived by Haiti. 7.Santeria is mainly influenced by Spanish traditions while voodoo is derived from the French and American culture. 8.The people who practice Santeria use a lot of animal sacrifice while voodoo only uses such practice on a lesser scale. 9.Voodoo is considered as an official religion and is popular while Santeria is not very popular or well known. The latter is also not considered as an official religion.