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Draft of San La Muerte article
San La Muerte (Saint Death) is a
Saint Death is depicted as a male skeleton figure usually holding a
Although the rituals connected to and powers ascribed to San La Muerte are very similar San La Muerte should not be confused with the similar religious figure Santa Muerte who is worshiped in Mexico and parts of the US, but is typically depicted by a female skeleton figure [1].
Origins
San La Muerte is one of many popular saints worshiped in the
Practice
To believers, San La Muerte exists within the context of the Catholic faith and is comparable to other purely supernatural beings such as archangels. The San La Muerte cult involves prayers, rituals, and offerings, which are given directly to San La Muerte in expectation of and tailored to the fulfillment of specific requests. Offerings can include (human) blood, alcoholic drinks, candles and other valuable objects. San La Muerte receives offerings in exchange for favors related to a wide range of personal problems: San La Muerte is said to help to restore love, health and fortune, to protect worshippers from witchcraft, to heal people upon whom somebody has cast the evil eye and to grant good luck in gambling. Next to these powers that are commonly attributed to folk saints San La Muerte is also said to be able to grant a number of requests that are connected to crime and violence: It is believed that the saint can bring death upon the enemies off his devotees, can keep people from being sent to prison and shorten prison terms of prison inmates and that he can help in the recovery of stolen and misappropriated items.
The San La Muerte cult is characterized by a moral code that must be obeyed. In the cult of San La Muerte worshippers have numerous obligation towards the saint, which they must honor in exchange for his protection. While followers requests favors from other saints they demand them from San La Muerte. Communication with San La Muerte takes place through prayers that are passed on between believers. The San La Muerte cult is is based on punishment and submission and to be granted a favor the saint sometimes must even be threatened. Commons threats involve hunger or banishment to an uninhabited place until the favor is granted. When graces are granted, the saint will be rewarded and fed but never fully, in order to increase the chances of him soon being willing to grant another grace.
For most worshipers San La Muerte offers personal and non-transferable protection that will only be accessible to others when - after the death of the original owner - he or she has acquired the sculpture. There are also intermediaries such as
Image
The San La Muerte cult is based on interactions between worshipers and the Saint Death represented by man-made sculptures. Individual sculptures are addressed as San La Muerte (because of their small size they San La Muerte may also colloquially be referred to as 'Santito' ('Small Saint'). The representation of San La Muerte varies according to the individual saint maker that has crafted him, however the classic figure is a human skeleton, standing, with simple, minimalistic features. The skeleton usually carries a scythe, in some cases with drops of blood on the edge. The same image can be dressed mostly in black and red cloths. Other representations include a standing skeletons without a scythe, sitting skeletons and skeletons in a coffin.
San La Muerte sculptures can be carved from wood, bones, metal (especially bullets) and usually stand between 15 and three centimeters tall. Increased powers are attributed to sculptures made from raw materials from special sources such as the last
According to believers of the San La Muerte cult a San La Muerte sculpture, in order to be able to grant favors, needs to be
Cairo International Airport (
Cairo International is the second busiest airport in
See also
- Death (personification)
- Death deity
- Santa Muerte
References
- ^ K. Freese: "The death Cult of the Drug Lords Mexico's Patron Saint of Crime, Criminals and the Dispossessed" Foreign Military Studies Office, Fort Leavenworth, KS., 2005
- ^ M.J. Carozzi and D. Miguez: "Multiple Versions of 'The Fairest of all Saints' in "San La Muerte - Una Voz Extraña", Buenos Aires, 2005
- ^ A. Schinini: "Popular Devotion in Sacred Carvings" in "San La Muerte - Una Voz Extraña", Buenos Aires, 2005
- ^ G. Insarralde: "The body as a metaphor for Faith" in "San La Muerte - Una Voz Extraña", Buenos Aires, 2005
- ^ azworldairports.com: Cairo International Airport (CAI/HECA) accessed on 22.09.2008