Santería Initiation: Necklaces {Elekes}

The Elekes are beautiful necklaces made out of colored beads that represent the different Orishas.  When one wears an Eleke, they are summoning the presence of the Orisha and that Orisha will accompany them while they are wearing it, protecting the person from harm and bringing him or her blessings.

One of the first major initiations that an Aleyo can do is to receive the five Elekes of some of the most popular, powerful, and common Orishas in the Yoruba pantheon:

• Elegua - Red and black
• Oshun - Yellow and copper
• Yemeya - Blue and transparent
• Chango - Red and white
• Obatala - White

The ceremony of the Eleke's, also known as the Half-Seating, marks the beginning of one's dedication to the Orisha and should only be considered once one has studied the religion sufficiently and has decided that this will forever be their religion.

Before receiving your Eleke's, you should seek out the guidance of a trusted and reputable Santero and ask him or her to be your Godfather/Godmother.  If they accept you {in some cases their Guardian Angel will need to accept you as well}, you can set a date with them.

To best prepare, ask them a lot of questions.  You should be very familiar with the five Orishas listed above.  Try to learn their numbers, colors, natural representations, Catholic syncretizations, feast days, and several Patakí {stories} that accompany them.  Please note that the ceremony itself is a closely guarded secret, so they will not be able to give you any details about what will happen, but the information about each Orisha should be openly shared.  Be wary of a Santero that doesn't want to answer these types of questions.

On the day of the ceremony, arrive to your Godparents' house on time.  You will need to bring a white towel, a pair of clothes you don't mind losing, and the following items with you:

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

After the ceremony has been completed, you will need to go straight home and should not leave until the next day, so make sure you have your schedule clear.

Caring for your necklaces is fairly simple.  You should wear them as much as possible.  If you can't wear them for whatever reason, try to at least keep them with you wrapped up in a white cloth in your pocket or purse.

There are certain times that you may not wear them.  First and foremost, you may not wear them when you are having sexual relations of any kinds.  Avoid wearing them during any types of physical activity.  Finally, remove them before sleeping.

If one of them breaks, call your Godparents immediately.  Don't worry, this is not a bad thing.  It is called Ebo Eleke, and means that the Orisha was saving you from a bad situation.  Your god parents will prepare a new Eleke for you.