In the Cuban religion of
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 ...
, ''omiero'', also known as ''purificacíon de santo'', is a liquid used in various ritual acts.
Uses
The term ''omiero'' derives from the
Lucumi language which is used for ritual purposes in Santería. This liquid is also known by the
Spanish language
Spanish ( or , Castilian) is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European language family that evolved from colloquial Latin spoken on the Iberian peninsula. Today, it is a world language, global language with more than 500 millio ...
term ''purificacíon de santo''. It primarily consists of a mix of herbs and water.
The ''otanes'', which are stones deemed to be the physical representation of the oricha, are "fed" by pouring both omiero and the blood of sacrificed animals onto them. Practitioners believe that through this, the oricha consume the ''aché'', a type of spiritual energy, from these liquids. Both omiero and animal blood are also poured onto the cowry shells which are used for the
dilogún form of
divination
Divination (from Latin ''divinare'', 'to foresee, to foretell, to predict, to prophesy') is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of an occultic, standardized process or ritual. Used in various forms throughout histor ...
, again to "feed" them. Omiero is again used to wash the drums employed during ritual drumming sessions as part of the ritual to consecrate them.
Omiero is also used during initiation ceremonies for the purpose of purifying the initiate.
In Santería initiation ceremonies, the ''iyawó'' (initiate) ingests omiero on each of the seven days of initiation.
References
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Santería