This December 4, Santa Bárbara once again summoned believers and people from all over Cuba, on a date in which Catholic tradition and religion come together. Afro-Cuban religiosity.
On the island, devotion to the Christian martyr is intertwined with the cult of Changó, one of the most revered orishas of the Osha Rule or Santeria. His figure, associated with strength and lightning, retains firm roots in the popular spirituality and collective imagination of Cubans, both on the island and outside it.
This Thursday Havana was once again the epicenter of the celebrations for Santa Bárbara, especially at the National Shrine in Párraga. There, like every year, neighbors, families and devotees from different parts of the city arrived, many dressed in red and with flowers and candles in their hands.
The central mass brought together a group of faithful who filled the church, although with a visibly smaller attendance than in previous years, according to regular visitors. Even so, the atmosphere maintained the usual emotionality and devotion despite the country’s current difficulties.
As it could not be otherwise, the celebration was marked by the severe economic and energy crisis in Cuba that limits transportation, affects basic routines and multiplies the concerns of the population. Added to this this year is the arbovirus epidemic that hits several provinces, especially Havana, where reports of infections continue to increase.
In this difficult scenario, the believers’ requests once again focused on personal matters and also on the many difficulties that the island is going through. In the pews and also from the pulpit, people prayed for health, prosperity, understanding, family reunification, and the desire to move forward and find a little relief in the midst of crisis and uncertainty emerged.
Even with a smaller audience, faith was manifested with intensity in the National Shrine. Offerings, flowers and candles accompanied the image of Saint Barbara, while people prayed silently in a mixture of gratitude, concern and hope. There was also a procession around the sanctuary, in which the devotees once again accompanied the image of the saint.
Thus, despite the shortcomings and limitations of the crisis, the celebration of Santa Bárbara once again showed the deep roots of this devotion in Cuban life. For many believers, yesterday’s date served as a space for worship and necessary relief in the midst of an especially difficult year, as shown in the images of photojournalist Otmaro Rodríguez.
