Рет қаралды 146,940
The Ibeji are considered the tutelary orisha of anyone who is born a twin, including those who have lost their twin sibling. In Yoruba society, when a mother gives birth to twins, Ibeji are consecrated and given to her as well as a set for her twin children. If one of the twins dies, a special doll is consecrated to act as a body for that deceased child’s sibling to carry (So that the two-bodied soul of the twins can remain intact. Otherwise the surviving twin would quickly follow his or her sibling to death.). When the second twin dies, a second doll is consecrated to match the first and both are kept with the consecrated pots by the mother. This tradition is what evolved into our tradition in Santeria Lucumí, where the Ibeji are received with two pots containing the mysteries and two consecrated dolls to accompany them. The first born twin of the Ibeji is considered the younger of the two and is named Taewo. The second born is considered to be older and is named Kehinde. Taewo is dressed in red and white, and Kehinde is dressed in blue and white. There are lineage variations in the genders of the twins, but at the Santeria Church of the Orishas, we consider Taewo to be a boy and Kehinde to be a girl.