The Toque de santo ritual

 

 

The Santería religious practice is centred mainly on the worship of the orichas. The Toque de santo ritual is addressed to them, allowing the divinities to be invoked through singing, dancing and the rhythm of the batá. The presence of the sacred drums is fundamental, such that the ceremony as a whole is often known as Tambor. 

 

A Toque de santo may be celebrated to commemorate an anniversary, invoke favours, ask for help in facing some difficulty or give thanks for goodness received. The music and dance favour the attainment of a different state of consciousness by one or more participants in the rite, which believers interpret as possession of the body by an oricha.

 

The ceremony is usually organised by a believer at his or her own home. Throughout the rite, the house takes on the value of a temple in which each room has a specific function. The igbodu is the sacred room where the trono is set up, a kind of altar adorned with coloured fabrics, flowers, fruit, food and objects related to the oricha one wishes to invoke. The eyá aranla is the place where the public part of the ceremony is held. It is the largest room in the house, usually a lounge or patio. There is then a third, more secluded room called the cuarto del santo. Its use is restricted to the Santo, the believer who, having entered into trance, is though to have been possessed by the oricha.

 

Although taking place in a private house, the Toque de santo is an inclusive religious celebration. Its instigator usually invites the members of his own religious family to take part, along with relatives, friends and neighbours. The presence of some religious practitioners is also needed to ensure the success of the rite: professionals of the cult who are paid for their services. Along with the batá drummers, the awpon and bailarín are also of fundamental importance. 

 

The awpon may be a man or a woman, whose role is to sing the songs during the ceremony. However, he or she is not a simple singer. Even prior to vocal gifts, the awpon is chosen for his or her knowledge of the songs suited to the different stages of the rite. His or her function is that of a master of ceremonies who, through song, coordinates the ritual actions and controls the process that will lead to entrance into trance.

 

The other indispensable figure for the success of the rite is the bailarín (or bailarina, when it is a woman). Despite the name, in this case, too, he or she is not a simple dancer. His or her main characteristic is that of being a caballo de santo (saint’s horse), that is, having a predisposition and the necessary knowledge for receiving a spirit into his or her own body. In theory, any santero can be possessed by an oricha, but during a Toque de santo the bailarín is usually the person who is first to reach the deepest state of trance and assume the role of the Santo. 

 

The Toque de santo is divided into five clearly distinct parts:

The orun seco is the initial part of the ritual, held in the igbodu, the throne room. The three batá players sit here in front of the altar to perform a long series of rhythmic figures dedicated to twenty-four different divinities. The orun seco is regarded by believers as one of the most sacred moments of the entire Toque de santo.

 

When the orun seco is completed, the batá players move to the main room, where participants stand in front of the instruments to begin the orun cantado. In this part, the drums accompany the awpon, who sings cycles of songs in Lucumi dedicated to the twenty-four orichas, following the same order as in the orun seco. The solo voice alternates with a choir made up of the tamboreros and all the participants in the rite, who sing and dance at the same time. When the awpon sings the songs for a given oricha, all the santeros consecrated by him bow before the drums to pay homage to Aña. 

 

The llamada al santo begins when the orun cantado has been completed. In this part the awpon sings a long sequence of songs dedicated to the oricha in whose honour the ceremony is being held. All those present take an active part, singing, dancing and clapping their hands in time to invoke the descent of the oricha to earth. If the call is successful, the bailarín approaches the drums dancing more and more excitedly. When he lies down on the ground in front of the drums it is a sign that possession has taken place. The music suddenly stops and from that moment on the bailarín is considered the earthly incarnation of the Santo.

 

The process that leads to the entrance into trance is sacred and secret, which is why many santeros do not allow it to be filmed and made public. In keeping with their wishes, only a few photos of the initial stages of the possession are shown in this guide.

 

Once possession has taken place, the Santo is accompanied to the room reserved for him, where believers offer him food and drinks. After having donned the garments and accessories that identify the oricha invoked, the Santo assembles some of those present to dispense good advice and request the performance of further rites. In the meantime, the wemilere begins in the main room. This is a kind of religious celebration during which the awpon continues to sing songs dedicated to the orichas, always accompanied by the drums. The participants sing, dance and enjoy themselves.

 

The final part of the rite, the cierre, begins when the Santo ends the consultations and goes back to the main room. From this moment on, the drums play a succession of toques dedicated to the orichas and the ancestors (egun). A bucket containing an infusion of water and magical herbs thought able to capture the negative influences is hidden in a corner of the house at the start of the ceremony. During the cierre the bucket is taken into the main room, twirled before the iyá and emptied outside the house. At the end of this last ritual act, the awpon sings two brief song cycles in honour of Eleguá and Olokun, thus marking the end of the Toque de santo.