Collection: Yoruba & Orisha Traditions

Practitioners hold that Olódùmarè, the High God, dwells in the sky with the orishas and ancestors, and is the source of all and creator of the first human beings. Olódùmarè is seen as remote, so is not the focus of shrines or regular rituals. The orishas are linked with priests and natural forces, and are seen as intermediaries between humanity and the natural world. Their number is often given as 400 + 1, a shorthand for "without number". Many believe each person's destiny (ayanmo) is chosen before birth, then forgotten and rediscovered on Earth. For serious problems, people consult an Ifá diviner to reach Orunmila.

The tradition is practised in Yorubaland in Nigeria and Benin. One estimate is that about 20% of Yoruba follow the ancestral religion. It also lives on in the diaspora, in Santería in Cuba and Candomblé in Brazil, and in Lucumí communities in the United States. Umbanda shares many of the same spirits as Candomblé, though the traditions differ in practice. Initiated priesthoods, such as the babalawos who keep the Odù Ifá oral texts, guide worship. Candomblé training takes years. Some Brazilian communities now de-emphasise the Catholic overlay and return to a more Yoruba-centred practice.

Olódùmarè is not depicted. Orishas are honoured at shrines, in natural places and in possession ceremonies. At Osogbo, practitioners read the grove's trees, shrines and river as Òṣun's own body. In the Americas, orishas were often paired with Catholic saints; for example, Oshún is linked with Our Lady of Charity in Cuba. Major festivals include the two-week Osun-Osogbo Festival, usually in August, and the annual Ifá celebration at the yam harvest. In Brazil, crowds leave offerings for Iemanjá in Salvador every 2 February.

Sources: Britannica: Yoruba · Atlanta University Center Woodruff Library: Yoruba (Traditional African Religions) · World History Encyclopedia: Orisha · Wikipedia: Yoruba religion · Wikipedia: Yemọja