Jes Grew and the Deities
Santería and Vodou both originate from West African religions, but they evolved in different places. Naturally, they changed a lot. Santería mostly developed in Cuba, and Vodou in Haiti. They both mix African beliefs with Catholic ones because enslaved people had to mask their religions to keep them alive. Folks would outwardly appear as though they were praying to saints, but those saints stood in for the orishas or lwa they already believed in. In Santería, people pray to orishas like Obatalá, Eleguá, and Yemayá. "Orishas are often represented by pots, usually arranged like a shrine, where people leave food and other offerings for the deities. Similar to other religions, these deities are believed to guide and protect people. In Vodou, it’s the lwa (or loas) like Legba, Danbala, and Erzulie who do that. Both religions use drumming, dancing, and offerings, and people during the ceremonies might be “mounted” or possessed by spirits, which means the spirit temporarily takes over ...