Church of the Lukumi Babalu Aye

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DECREE ON

GENERAL STANDARDS GOVERNING

CELEBRATION AND HOLY DAYS

ADOPTED   BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

PROMULGATED

BY OBA L. ERNESTO PICHARDO

JUNE TERM 1990

Introduction:

The precedence of religious observance consist of three categories: What is applicable to the general priesthood and specific order; What is applicable to congregants that have been baptized and those preparing to embrace the Lukumi religion; What is applicable to the patron divinity of any church, collective, or country.

In the Diaspora, the Lukumi were forced by colonial history to parallel our celebration and holy dates with that of the Spanish Catholic church. Although we must recognize that the Catholic dates are not contextually significant to us, it has become a tradition to follow in parallel their established calendar. The church recognizes historic fundamental truth. With the introduction of Islam and Christianity in the Yoruba homeland, came the imposed changes of a new calendar week that was adopted and recorded in odu Ifa Oturupon Otura (Awo Epega version). Under similar circumstance, Catholic dominance during the colonial era caused our ancestors to devise a parallel in dates. Therefore, Lukumi dates are either exact or closely associated to Catholic Saint days following their old calendar order.

As a consequence, our traditional calendar was changed including what constitutes the first day of the calendar year. Our traditional first day of the year follows the lunar cycle, ending of May and early June. However, the Lukumi observance of the holy period has been adapted to the last week of December ending midnight January 1^st.

What our forefathers constituted was a differentiation between dates of reverence that honor the divine and the precedence of contextual observance. Therefore, the resulting standard accepts to parallel the Catholic dates. However, the Lukumi divine context of observance is not to be confused or mixed with that which is Catholic or other religion. This standard applies to the entire collect and it is inclusive to the priesthood. The following establishes the order based on calendar months.

· December - Evening of 3^rd to midnight of the 4^th, honoring Shango: 6^th in some regions

· December – Evening of the 16^th, and 17^th, honoring the church patron divinity Babalu Aye

· December – Last week of the month through midnight January 1^st, Holy week honoring Olofin, Olorun, Olodumare, Oduduwa, Ancestors. Peak period being the 30^th, 31^st, 1^st.

· February – Evening of the 1^st ending midnight the 2^nd, honoring Oya in some regions

· June - Evening of the 5^th ending midnight of the 6^th, honoring the divinity Oshosi.

· June – Evening of the 12^th ending midnight of the 13^th, honoring the divinity Elegba

· June – Evening of the 29^th ending midnight of the 30^th, honoring the divinity Ogun

· September – Evening of the 6^th ending midnight of the 7^th, honoring the divinity Yemaya

· September – Evening of the 11^th ending midnight of the 12^th, honoring Oshun

· September - Evening of the 23^rd ending midnight of the 24^th, honoring the divinity Obatala

· October – Evening of the 3^rd ending midnight of the 4^th, honoring the divinity Orunmila

· October – Evening of the 14^th ending midnight of the 15^th honoring the divinity Oya

· November – Evening of the 15^th ending midnight of the 16^th, honoring the divinity Aganju

General Description of Priesthood:

1. Oluwo: Male ordained to the priesthood of his patron divinity and further ordained to                      the priesthood order of Orunmila.

1. 2. Babalawo: Male not ordained to his patron divinity and ordained to the order of Orunmila.

2. 3. Iyanifa: Female ordained to her patron divinity with special recognition in the order of Orunmila.

3. 4. Apetebi: Female ordained to her patron divinity and serves the Orunmila priesthood order.

4. 5. Oriate: Male or female ordained to his or her patron divinity and master of orisha ordination rites, central dogma, rites of passage, all major ceremonies. Description for this level is as follows: Oga Ogo Oriate; Oriate/Italero; Akilakua; Alakisa.

5. 6. Alagba/Alagba lagba: Male or female seniors ranked by priesthood years and numbers of performed ordinations.

• Babalosha: Male ordained to his patron divinity and has ordained others.
• Iyalosha: Female ordained to her patron divinity and has ordained others.
• Ojigbona: Male or Female, ordained, that serve as secondary elders.
• Olosha: Male or female ordained to their respective patron divinity.
• Iyawo: Male or female newly ordained to their respective patron divinity.
• Aboku: Male or Female in early stages of being ordained to their patron divinity.

All of the above shall observe their day of individual priesthood ordination: The calendar day of their patron divinity; The ordination day and calendar day of the patron divinity relevant to their individual religious elders; And specific individual day in relation to ancestor worship; The death rite of a priest or priestess of their elders group or senior priest; Any special day of cleansing or atonement as mandated by divine instruction that is particular to a group or congregation.

General Description of the faithful:

1. Omorisha: Male or female that is baptized and has partial ordination.

2. Aborisha: Male or female that has been Lukumi baptized constituting membership.
3. Abofaka: Male that has been baptized and has received the divinity Orunmila.
4. Ikofa: Female that has been baptized and has received the divinity Orunmila.
5. Aberikola/Alejo: Person that is not a member of the religion.

All of the above with exception to number five shall observe the calendar day of their individual patron divinity; The calendar day of a patron divinity specific to their respective religious elders; The ordination day of their respective elders; Specific individual day(s) in relation to ancestor worship; The death rite of a priest or priestess of their elders group or senior priest; Any special day of cleansing or atonement as mandated by divine instruction that is particular to a person, group, or congregation.

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