Oya Yanza

In Cuba, Oya is celebrated on February 2 and October 15.

Oya santo united to all the religious, and with the children of Shango they have a magical bond.
Oyá is also offered eggplant, sweet potato, Indian banana, corojo butter, grapes, cocoa butter, toasted corn, tamarind, coconut, corojo butter among others.

Its trees or magical herbs are flamboyant, marigold, thousand flowers, geranium, purple coralillo, pacific sea, verbena, cemetery flower, dead scare, plantain, cordovan, curujey, croto and custard apple, purple basil, canutillo, cockroach, avocado, mamey , frutabomba, yagruma, tamarind.

Oyá is the owner of the spark, the storms and the gate of the cemetery and its emblematic color is wine red, carmelite, 9 colors except black and flower prints of many colors.

Its receptacle in a clay pot with a lid or a carmelite or multi-colored earthenware tureen. Normally it lives dry, in some cases in river water and in others only a little river water is sprayed on its otá. Its attributes are 9 copper adans (handcuffs), flamboyant pods, Irukes (horsetails), a hand of snails, work and war tools, swords, shields, slaves, lightning swords, crown, scarves of 9 different colors except the black, guataca, pick, acofa, lightning, scythe, stick, hoe, rake, axe, saber, etc. Their Elekes are 1 carmelite bead with black and white stripes for every 9 carmelites, in some houses in Osha they are made of lilac beads with yellow stripes or alternating 9 white and 9 black beads.

When Oya dances, she waves her iruke to clear the bad influences from the air. Their dance is very frenetic and very fast. It is delirious, a bacchanalia. Sometimes he carries a flaming torch in his right hand, making fiery circles as he spins to the left.

It is called with the sound of the flamboyant pod. It represents the reincarnation of the ancestors, the lack of memory and the feeling of regret in women.

Cuban popular religiosity is very strong inside and outside the Island. We search the mystical world for answers to those things that are incomprehensible to us, and sometimes we find very curious answers.

If you are one of the agnostics, of those who cling to the hard sciences, I understand that this post does not seem like a coincidence with what is happening today in Cuba. But remember that the occult sciences also exist and the universe is immense, there is no answer for everything. Be free of thought, but just in case, just in case, on the day of Oyá, do not forget to say hello, Yansá, Jekua Jey!