what is santeria?

Answer 1

I think it's a bit like voodoo, or hoodoo.

Answer 2

It is the benevolent side of vudu or Brujeria, or as is pronounced in English Voo Doo.
Vudu is one source divided into two : benevolent and malevolent forces.
It is the Black Arts, originally founded and practiced in Africa. When you practice Santeria, the same Black Art Gods which can be called to for help but are mainly malevolent, are also the same gods you call to in order for benevolence to be part or all of the result, from calling upon the dichotomy of the same gods.
Santeria means : THAT of the Saints.
Brujeria means, that of Witchcraft.

Trouble is, in such a dichotomous religion, one must be very focused, well informed in the practices it requires, lest one calls upon for the attention of the opposite gods, since both Santeria and Brujeria are made powerful with one's passion as the conduit to what gods you are calling to answer.

Answer 3

Santeria is an Afro-Cuban religion.

When people from Africa were brought to Cuba they had to hide their religion, so they gave their African gods the names of Catholic saints. It does involve some animal sacrifice and can be considered some what like Voodoo but is an actual religion

Answer 4

it is a hybrid of catholocism and voodoo usually practiced in central and south america and parts of the carribean. some of the european catholic traditions are confused/intermingled with more local religious traditions and santeria is the result. this is not an unknown religion/practice. you can no doubt find much information on santeria in any search engine, wikipedia, or your local library. consider looking in such sources as encyclopedias of world religions.

Answer 5

Santeria is a syncretistic religion of Caribbean origin. It incorporates the worship of the Orisha (literally "head guardian") and beliefs of the Yoruba and Bantu people in Southern Nigeria, Senegal and Guinea Coast. These are combined with elements of worship from Roman Catholicism.

Its origins date back to the slave trade when Yoruba natives were forcibly transported from Africa to the Caribbean. They were typically baptized by the Roman Catholic church upon arrival, and their native practices were suppressed. They developed a novel way of keeping their old beliefs alive by equating the each Orisha of their traditional religions with a corresponding Christian Saint. Many traditions within the religion recognize different equivalences. One common example includes:

Babalz Ayi became St. Lazarus (patron of the sick)
Shangs became St. Barbara (controls thunder, lightning, fire...)
Eleggua or Elegba became St. Anthony (controls roads, gates etc)
Obatala became Our Lady of Las Mercedes, and the Resurrected Christ (father of creation; source of spirituality)
Oggzn became St. Peter (patron of war)
Oshzn became Our Lady of Charity (controls money, sensuality...)

If you go to some of the Bontanica shops down here in Florida you'll find that they cater to a variety of individuals who practice this religion.

Answer 6

An African based religion which combines the worship of traditional Yoruban deities with the worship of Roman Catholic saints.

Answer 7

A combination of Voudon and Catholicism. Quite beautiful, if you aren't sqeemish.

It's a mystical path, but I've never met a Santero, so I can't comment on what I've seen. One day, I want to though.

Answer 8

it's a synchretic belief system that crosses deities of the iorubic (afican/cariibean)pantheon with catholic saints that evolved when the slaves were forced into catholicism and discovered that the religions were similar enough to continue practicing their own under a thin catholic disguise

Answer 9

It is 50% Voo Doo and 50% Catholicism...believe it or not

Answer 10

An African cult or religion.

More details...
http://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/nrms/santeria.html