Yoruba may refer to the ethnic group that resided in Yorubaland, a cultural region within Nigeria, Benin, and Togo, in West Africa. It can also refer to the language spoken by many inhabitants of that region. The use of the word Yoruba in the context we are interested in is the Yoruba religion. The purpose of this research paper is to explore the numerous rituals and practices that are integral to the Yoruba religion and its continuation through oral and performance traditions. Included in these practices are Ifá divination, spiritual singing and dancing, spiritual clothing, attaining reincarnation, and burial rites. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The most important ritual in the Yoruba religion is that of Ifá divination. It's a ritual that seemingly holds all the answers to everything one might ask, from personal health concerns to making an important decision, whether those decisions are for oneself or for a group of people. These divination rituals are performed by Ifá priests known as “Babalawo” or “Iyalawo” which means the father or mother of secrets in the Yoruba language. The Ifá divination process involves a complex systemic procedure that involves sifting pine nuts from one hand to the other, and based on how many end up in a hand at a given time, marks are made on a divination board. This is done 8 times and is known as Odù. The Odù Ifá is the sacred text of the Yoruba religion and within the Odù Ifá there are "16 major divinatory figures called the Odù Ifá, and there are 16 verses associated with each figure, for a total of 256 Odù" or verses. The Ifá priest, whether it is a Babalawo or an Iyalawo, will interpret the verses obtained from the divination process and tell them what kind of sacrifices must be made for this person. “Furthermore there are 16 others relating to the 256 verses, which makes a minimum of 4,096 Odù, and each of these Odù has associated with it 1,680 ẹsẹ Ifá”. All these mathematically calculated probable outcomes lead the Yoruba people to believe that there is no situation that Ifá divination cannot resolve. When one is born into the Yoruba religion, his destiny is determined by an Ifá priest at birth. It is possible to have a bad fate and still be a good person, just as it is possible to have a good fate and still live an evil life. The purpose of a Yoruba's life is to reincarnate. If they live a good life, perform good deeds, and die a natural death, they will be reincarnated as grandchildren, often resembling themselves as elders. If they do not reincarnate in the physical world, they will reincarnate in the spiritual world, watching over their family. If one lives a bad life, dies and dies prematurely, criminally, then he will go to “'bad heaven' (orun bururu), the place of broken vessels that cannot be repaired, and therefore incapable of reincarnation.” This is interestingly opposed to the ideology of Hinduism and Buddhism where you go through the cycle of reincarnation until you are able to reach nirvana and no longer exist in the physical world. Reincarnation is also spoken of in a passage from the Odù Ifá entitled “THE TWIN BROTHERS”. In this passage, twins were born to a king by one of his favorite wives. Traditionally, the twins should have been executed immediately. The king failed to do such a thing, so he sent his wife and twins into exile, so as not to be discovered by the rest of the capital. When word spread that the king was dead, the brothers held a competition over who could throw a stone the furthest, and whoeverhad he done so he would have returned to the capital and reclaimed the throne. The younger of the twins won, then claimed the throne and took his brother. Jealousy fell on the older brother and one day he killed his brother in the river. He then assumed the kingship, as no one had witnessed the murder. The older brother, some time later, walked to the same place where he had killed his brother where a fish jumped out of the water and started singing "Your brother lies here, your brother lies here". The king killed the fish. On another occasion, the king passed the same spot again and the river gushed and sang the same song. Spectators were quick to notice the body of the former king in the water. The sudden death of the king was explained and the elder brother poisoned himself and died. Although this is not reincarnation in its ideal form, it was a vengeful reincarnation by the gods to expose the elder brother of his wrongdoings and thus nullify his chances of reincarnation due to the death he suffered and the actions he performed. Another common ritual is known as “Ebo”. These are ritual sacrifices aimed both at appeasing the gods and remedying a fate of maleficence. Through Ifá divination the Ifá priest determines what must be sacrificed to obtain this remedy. “Cosmic, supernatural and spiritual forces are mostly appeased with the following objects: rat (Eku), fish (Eja), male goat (Obuko), pig (Elede), rooster/hen (akuko/abo-adie), chicken egg (Eyin-adie), pigeon (Eyele), snail (Igbin), banana (Ogede-omini), white bean cake (Ekuru), palm oil (Epo-pupa), roasted yam (Isu-sisun), roasted corn (Guguru), kola nut (Obi) and a bowl of water (sometimes dew water).” (Enaikele and Adeleke) Sometimes, these sacrifices may be rejected by supernatural beings if the Ifá divination scriptures indicate this result. In Osun's tale, he performs the Ifá divination ritual and when faced with the results, refuses the sacrifice, but this does not actually alter his predestined path in a negative way. In the words of Teresa N. Washington, it actually "adds character and complexity." There is a tale of a Caucasian man who attempts to produce a human, then goes to talk to a diviner who tells him that he needs to sacrifice a goat in order to produce a human. The Caucasian man refuses and the fortune teller persists in the man's desire. The diviner tells the man to collect mud to create a human being; shapes the mud to resemble a human figure. The Caucasian man returns after the figure has dried to see that it “has no soul and is incapable of speech.” In this case, not sacrificing something led to negative consequences. The story of how different tribes could distinguish themselves from each other is found within the Odù Ifá, the sacred text of the Yoruba. The passage titled “HOW TRIBAL MARKS WERE USED” tells the story of a king who sends two of his slaves on a mission to do something for him. One slave returns successfully and the other returns with nothing to show for the journey. The slave who did nothing receives “one hundred and twenty-two razor cuts all over his body.” The king's wives appreciated how the scars on the second slave's body had healed and from then on "...decided that cuts should be made in the future, not as punishment, but as a sign of royalty. .." From then on, to distinguish members of one tribe from those of another tribe, "two cuts would be a sign of kingship and various other cuts came to be signs of other tribes." The Yoruba often have some sort of festival to remember and celebrate the past. However, there is often conflict among some Yoruba. Some of them were slaves themselves, othersslavers and proud of the power their ancestors held, enslaving other people. The performing dancer/singer has the right to reveal anything private about themselves or their background during the ritual if they wish. While these competing stories are very connected to each other, they are no excuse for violence between those on different sides of the story. They recognize now that they are all one people. “The festivals, marked through dance and music (songs, recitation, chants and instrumentation) are vital in inducing spiritual emotions in the faithful and spurring them to greater action, while at the same time teaching the history of the community. Of course, the Yoruba hold this festival more than just remembering slavery, other common topics and less divisive topics are also celebrated. Interestingly enough, the medium of ritual song and dance has remained relatively constant throughout the time since slavery, in its formal sense, ended in Yorubaland in the late 19th century. In (Performing Trauma: The Ghosts of Slavery in Yoruba Music and Ritual Dance) Yoruba interviewees, who are 96 years old, say they remember hearing and seeing the same rituals performed when they were children at these identical festival-type locations. As for clothing, during the aforementioned festivals and in times of spiritual need, the Yoruba wear the Egungun. This attire is worn by Egungun masquerades who take the form of ancestors who are returning to listen to the complaints of their people and “to bless them with human and crop fertility and also with general prosperity”. When masquerades wear them, they are no longer human, they are a representation of ancestral spirits returning to Earth. Masked people are called "babi mi (my father) or baba wa (our father) whenever they appear, whether during holidays or on special occasions." The colors of the Egungun correspond to the preferred colors of the deities, as they copy the way the deities themselves dressed, if the wrong colors are worn, the deities will not accept offerings. These Egungun costumes "are often striking and fragile constructions of fabric, leather or small threads to which monkey skulls, cowries, necklaces and various medicines are attached." When the costumes are not worn for special events, they sit on a stand, reminiscent of armor from the Middle Ages; these holders are made of ahun wood, the same wood used for the masks they wear. Interestingly, when the costumes are not in use, great care is taken of them, but when they are in use, sacrificial animal blood is shed on them in the name of worship. The craftsmanship can be appreciated by those outside the religion and these costumes are one of the pieces that have made African art so popular among the masses, but the true meaning of the costumes could never be fully understood by an outsider. The ritual burial rites are also popular among the Yoruba people. It is called Ìsààró and “marks the exit of elderly women from this world to the afterlife”. This burial procedure is performed by the chief masquerade leader. It is also necessary for the children of these deceased women to perform this burial service, if it is not performed by their children, then the woman may not have a good passage into the afterlife, and it is a bad omen for her children who still exist in the afterlife. 'afterlife. physical world. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay To conclude, the Yoruba religion is rich in rituals and spiritual practices that include divination, reincarnation, burial rites, masquerade costumes, singing, and dancing. All these rituals are performed to please the.