Church of Lukumi Babalu Aye (CLBA) is a
Santería
Santería (), also known as Regla de Ocha, Regla Lucumí, or Lucumí, is an African diaspora religions, African diasporic religion that developed in Cuba during the late 19th century. It arose through a process of syncretism between the tradit ...
church in
Hialeah
Hialeah ( ; ) is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. With a population of 223,109 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Hialeah is the sixth-largest city in Florida. It is the second largest city by population in the Mi ...
,
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
. The church practices
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
's Santería or Lucumí tradition / Regla de Ocha.
CLBA was founded and incorporated in 1974 by Oba Ernesto Pichardo and his associates. In the 1980s, the church decided to begin public services in Hialeah. The city of Hialeah responded by passing four ordinances which outlawed
animal sacrifice
Animal sacrifice is the ritual killing and offering of one or more animals, usually as part of a religious ritual or to appease or maintain favour with a deity. Animal sacrifices were common throughout Europe and the Ancient Near East until the spr ...
. The dispute between the church and Hialeah went to the
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...
; the case, ''
Church of the Lukumi Babalu Aye v. City of Hialeah'', was resolved in CLBA's favor.
See also
*
Babalú-Ayé
Babalú-Aye (from yoruba ''Obalúayé''), ''Oluaye'', Ṣọpọna, or even ''Obaluaiye'', is one of the orishas or manifestations of the supreme creator god Olodumare in the Yoruba religion of West Africa. Babalú-Aye is the spirit of the Eart ...
References
*
J. Gordon Melton
John Gordon Melton (born September 19, 1942) is an American religious scholar who was the founding director of the Institute for the Study of American Religion and is currently the Distinguished Professor of American Religious History with the Ins ...
(1996). ''Encyclopedia of American Religions'' (Detroit, Mich.: Gale) p. 797
External links
Church of the Lukumi Babalu Aye v. the City of HialeahOfficial church website
{{coord missing, Miami
African Americans in Florida
Cuban-American culture in Florida
Santería
Churches in Miami-Dade County, Florida
Hialeah, Florida
1974 establishments in Florida