EFE (via 14ymedio), Havana, 1 January 2024 — The Yoruba Cultural Association of Cuba fortells for 2024 an increase in disease, crime, alcohol and drug use, and it drew attention to the increase in “abuse of women” on the Island, according to its predictions released this Monday.
A group of priests from the Cuban Santería or “babalawos” met on New Year’s Eve at the headquarters of the Association in Havana, as is tradition, and on January 1 they published the well-known Letter of the Year, one of the traditions rooted in practitioners and believers on the Island.
The predictions of the oracle of Afro-Cuban religions foreshadow, among other things, a decrease in the birth rate, an increase in criminal activities and more marital breakdowns.
Priests advise “to take precautions with belongings during national trips
Also diseases of the lower abdomen, genetic ailments, the increase of neurological ailments and skin conditions.
The priests advised Cubans “to pay more attention to agricultural productivity and the use of land” and “to take precautions with belongings during national trips,” in addition to asking the “corresponding authorities for preventive work on the intake of alcoholic beverages and the consumption of narcotics, especially among young people.”
In Santeria, one of the most widespread syncretic cults in Cuba, each letter or sign includes a history of the deities or the “orishas” of the Yoruba pantheon, who speak for it and implicitly carry a teaching or a general recommendation.
In 2024, among the recommendations are to ” not leave children in the care of anyone, as they can be harmed, and be careful with them even in your own home
In 2024, among the recommendations are to “not leave children in the care of anyone, as they can be harmed, and be careful with them even in your own home” and to “be respectful of the differences between human beings to avoid conflicts and unnecessary disagreements.”
The syncretic cults arrived in Cuba with the African slaves in the colonial era, and their practices are transmitted by oral tradition from one generation to another through prayers, rites, spells, magic formulas, sayings, dances, songs, sacrifices and liturgies.
Santería uses divination as one of its main practices, and among its elements are snail shells for the act of consultation and the use of the so-called “foundation necklaces,” made with beads of the colors that characterize each deity.
Translated by Regina Anavy
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