I don't practice Santeria...

My mother is a Santera. Mom prays in some Nigerian language, prays to African ancestors, and yes there are animal sacrifices. I remember going to a ceremony where the person was being initiated to a "Santo" or saint. Santeria is the melding of Yoruba ancestor worship and Catholicism. The slaves brought Santeria to the Caribbean in the 15th century made the change to be able to practice without being burned at the stake by the Spanish. The ceremonies are elaborate. Handmade costumes of bright colors and fabrics. People of all colors chanting in an unknown language. The smell of the sacrificed animals being cooked for the ritual meal. The acts I remember the most were the dances. I can go right back there. I remember this very white and blond female in the center of a Santeria mosh pit. Men and women with cigars turned the lighted end into their mouths and blew the cigar smoke at the dancer. The dancer began convulsing and pulsating and began speaking in a language I couldn't understand. We were made to wear all white and cover our heads. I remember hating being looked at as different or weird. I know that events like these help bring me to the dark side...to be an evangelical.