Palo Initiation: The Scratching {Rayamiento}

Initiating into Palo is a very big step that one can take in their life and spiritual practices.  This is a fairly lengthy and complicated ceremony that should not be taken lightly.  As with any ceremony, I can't go into any detail of what transpires, but their are a few things that you should know in order to prepare for this initiation.

Before initiating, you should learn as much as you can about the religion of Palo.  If you are attracted to the religion and feel that it could benefit you, then you should seek a Palo house and choose your God Parents.

As with any Afrocuban religions, take your time with this.  This ceremony will forever tie you to your God Parents' prenda, and there is no going back.  Because of this, you will want to do your due diligence and make sure that you have chosen the correct house and correct God Parents.  I can't emphasize this enough.

Many religious houses insist that everyone should initiate into Palo before having their Guardian Angel crowned in Santería.  This is false information, and this should be a good indication that you are not working with the correct Palo house.  Palo is not in everyone's destiny, and before any type of ceremony can be performed, the prenda and spirit of the prenda must first be consulted and asked for permission.  In my religious house, it seems to be a minority of people that have permission to pass into the world of Palo.

In order to ask the prenda permission, your god father will need your complete name and date of birth.  If the prenda says no, then you should accept that and understand that Palo is not for you.  If it says yes, then you can begin to plan your initiation.

The first step will be to set a date.  It should be noted that women can not be in the presence of the prenda during their menstruation cycle, so make sure that you schedule around this.  Their are certain aspects of the ceremonies that have to be planned in advance and costs associated with each part, so if you do not schedule appropriately their may be a certain amount of the rights that will be lost if you have to change dates at the last minute.

The second step is to present yourself to the prenda and pay your rights.  Your god parents will guide your through this and instruct you on the proper way to do this.

On the day of the ceremony, make sure that you dress appropriately and bring everything that you will need to your god parents' house.  Palo ceremonies take place outside, so if there is any type of adverse weather make sure that you keep this in mind.

You will need to wear a pair of clothes that you don't mind getting dirty.  You will need to wear on top of this a shirt that you don't mind throwing away.

Women should wear a tank top underneath their shirts.  You will not have to take this off or ever have any of your private parts exposed.

After the ceremony is completed, you will need to have a white towel and a pair of white clothes.

For men, this will be:

• Shoes
• Socks
• Pants
• Underwear
• Shirt
• Hat

For women:

• Shoes/Socks or Heels {Depending on the weather}
• Skirt and Blouse or Dress
• Underwear

Congratulations, you are now a palero.