Egun

The ancestors, continually present and often visible in dreams.

Egun are the ancestors and the dead. In Santería they are not a closed past: they are remembered, addressed and involved in what is happening.

A well-known saying in Santería is Ikú lobi ocha: the dead gave birth to the orishas. That is why the egun are honoured first, before one turns to the orishas. At many ceremonies the names of deceased relatives and of earlier priests and priestesses are called, as a line that continues to this day.

The bóveda espiritual, the table for the spirits, often has a white cloth, a number of glasses of clear water, sometimes nine, flowers, candles, photos and a crucifix. The tradition differs per house, and espiritismo, a Cuban form of spiritism, has also influenced how the dead are approached. Whoever dreams of a deceased person asking for water, light or attention can read it in this light as an invitation to remember.

Many houses keep a bóveda, a table or place where the egun are honoured with water, light and attention.

Many practitioners also hold a misa espiritual, a spiritual mass in which a medium seeks contact with the spirits of the dead. That practice comes from espiritismo and is combined with Santería in many houses. Dreams about the deceased are sometimes discussed there, to hear what a spirit may be asking.

Dreams of the deceased are therefore taken seriously. The question is not only who appeared, but what happened and what was said. A recurring dream about the same person is read within the tradition as something asking for attention.