On an island with more than a thousand political prisoners, the patron saint of the prisoners has become the image before which countless Cuban families pray. This September 24, the patron saint of inmates received flowers and candles in her parish on Cuba Street, in Old Havana, under the watchful eye of a police operation with uniformed and civilian agents.
Dressed mainly in white, in honor of La Merced and the orisha Obbatalá, with whom the Virgin is syncretized in Santeria, residents from the surrounding area and also others who traveled from distant municipalities arrived throughout the day. Most of them were united by a special reason: to pray for the people locked up in prisons, in a country with more than 90,000 prisoners.
From early in the morning, several tables were placed outside the temple for the private sale of prints, religious accessories, flowers and other offerings dedicated to Mercy. But inflation weighed down the enthusiasm of buyers who opened their eyes when they heard that each candle cost 50 pesos. Upon hearing that number, many decided to retrace their steps and enter the temple empty-handed.
Flowers did not escape the rise in prices either, and small bouquets, with just a few butterflies, cost 100 pesos, while others that were a little more elaborate and with more variety amounted to about 400. For residents of the poor neighborhood of San Isidro, where the church of Nuestra Señora de la Merced is located, paying such prices means giving up putting something on the plate or spending a good part of your salary on stems and petals.
The priest who accompanied the prayer asked for a prayer “for the future of the homeland and of Cuban children.” The request was followed by prayers and hands coming together in prayer. There were also those who brought an image of their relative sentenced to prison to accompany them during the time inside the church and when approaching the altar with the image of Merced.
In other parts of Havana, such as the mouth of the Almendares River, a group of Santeria practitioners also joined in a ceremony to remember the orisha “creator of the earth and sculptor of being.” White clothes were more common in the city throughout the day and there was no lack of domestic ceremonies with prayers for the Cuban prisoners in the hands of traffickers and coyotes during their migration route.
The numerous Cuban women, especially over 50 years old, who were named “Mercedes” or “Mercy”, in honor of the Virgin, also celebrated, although on this occasion the white meringue cakes -so characteristic of these syncretic celebrations- were scarce due to the lack of flour and egg. The economic crisis forced Cubans to celebrate more modest but just as emotional as other years.
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