ORICHAS Female3/23/2019 Short Oru Cantado Yemaya Oyá Oshún
Yemaya is the great mother who lives and rules over the seas, she controls the part of the sea that humans can know (while the most profound depths of the oceans belong to another Oricha, Olokun). She's the mother (or foster mother) of almost all the major Orichas, she'll always listen and offer maternal love to anyone who needs a mother. Although she's maternal and nurturing, she's also fierce, she is clever, brave, wise and virtuous. Yemaya's children tend to be strong willed, independent women, who sincerely care for other people, domestic and protective, maternal, generally calm their temper is terrible when it erupts, sensual, but in a quiet fashion, emotional. Her eleke is made out of transparent crystal beads alternating with royal blue ones, in a pattern of seven, which is her number. Her day of the week is Saturday, and her colors are blue and white. Traditionally she wears a long flowing dress with a full skirt made of blue and white ruffles. When she dances, she begins slowly and gracefully but as she swirls and moves her skirts to reflect the rhythm of the waves, she builds up speed and intensity, showing her immense power. In the Catholic religion, Yemaya is syncretized with the Virgin of Regla and the Virgin Mary. Yemaya is the patron of pregnant women. She's associated with stars and the full moon, sea shells, fish, nets, sea horses, anchors, and everything related with the sea.
Oyá, or Yansá, is the owner of winds and storms, and she brings change, wanted or not, into the lives of humans. In fact she uses violent winds to blow away everything in her path. She's the fiercest of the female Orichás, she goes into battle with two swords and, like Changó, with whom she fight side by side, and who is her favourito companion, she also uses lightening to strike down her enemies and and she fights. She guards the gates of the cemetery, making sure that the boundaries between life and death are respected. She often wears a mask because she likes to protect her privacy. Oyá's army is made up of egun (spirits of the dead). Oyá wears a full skirt made up of nine different colored pieces of cloth, because of this some people say that the rainbow belongs to her, or a variation of dark burgundy and brown hues. Oyá dances with a black iruke (a whip made out of a horse's tail), which she swings rapidly over her head to represent the wind. Her dance steps are very quick and frenetic. Her movements tend to be abrupt and violent, so her skirts fly around her when she moves. Tornadoes are thought to be caused by Oyá's skirts that whirl as she dances. Oyá can wear any color except black. Her eleke (beaded necklace) is made of alternating dark red and dark brown beads with black or white dots on them. Oyá's day of the week is Friday. She is syncretized in the Catholic religion with the Virgin of Candelaria, the Virgin of Carmen, and in some parts of Cuba with Santa Teresa de Jesús. Her number is 9, and her metal is copper, so her initiates often wear 9 copper bracelets in her honor. To call her, her followers shake the large seed pod that falls from the framboyán tree, which echoes the sound of thunder. Oyá inspires fear, but she stands up and protects those who respect her, she brings purification into our lives by blowing away all the things that no longer serve us, and allowing fresh winds to blow in new things. Her children are generally very powerful and strong, they're capable of deep loyalty, they make good husbands and wives, but they're jealous. They find daily routine monotonous. She's the patroness of the marketplace, a symbol for transition and change in the human world. Offerings for Oyá are often left in the marketplace. Ochún (or Oshún), is also called Ochún Yalorde, which means queen. Is the youngest of all the Orichás and the little sister of Yemayá and they often work together, especially in issues related to romance, marriage, and motherhood. Yemayá is a mature, motherly type who watches over children and protects babies in the womb. Ochún is the Orichá of fertility, seduction and love; she is vivacious and the quintessence of femininity. Although she's young and sometimes seems frivolous, she's a very powerful Orichá: in many instances where others fail, Ochún triumphs, often by using her feminine wiles and sweetness. According to a patakí (sacred stories of Yoruba mithology) when Olodumare finished creating the earth he realized something was missing: sweetness and love, so he created Ochún and sent her to earth to cultivate those qualities in others. Ochún has talent as a diviner. From Inle, the doctor of the Orichás, she learned about healing. Ochún helps with fertility issues, and she protects against illnesses in the lower stomach and intestines, problems with female reproductive organs, hemorrhages and blood related conditions. Ochún can be the Orichá on a male or female human head. Her children are like her, lively and gay spirited, fun to be around, sensual, they adorn themselves with fine jewels, perfumes, beautiful things, and clothes and tend to care a lot about what others say. She rules over rivers and loves sunflowers, perfumes, jewellery, honey, both the peacock and the vulture are her symbols. Her colors are yellow and gold and dresses in long yellow satin dresses cinched tightly at the waist, sometimes with tinkling bells at the hem. Her eleke is made of 5 yellow beads alternating with 5 amber colored beads. Her number is 5 (and multiples of 5). Her day of the week is Saturday. She's syncretized with the Virgin of Caridad de Cobre, who is the patroness of Cuba.
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AuthorA journey into the world of rhythm through the drum and the "contaminated" music of a Neapolitan percussionist who became "Babalawo". History, knowledge, information and personal experience from Cuba to Partenope (Naples): from the ritual Batà drums, traditional music, santeria and Yoruba religion of the afrocuban culture to the "Napoletanity" and the Neapolitan traditional song. Archives
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