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Holiday: September
27
Weekday: Monday
Colors: Red and black
Number: 3
Adimuses: Sweets, candies, cake, coconut, etc.
Eleggua is a playful and witty deity. Eleggua is for
the Yoruba what Apollo was for the Greeks, the messanger. Eleggua, more
than playful, has childlike characteristics since he doesn´t only
behave like a kid but he also has the same taste for candies. He´s
tricky and immaturely maliciouse since he tricks people just for fun.
He owns the doorways and the roads, this is why he is generally blamed
when the "doors are closed", meaning when luck won´t
flow or when things don´t go as planned.
Pataki
There was a time when Orunla was having a hard time,
and when he consulted himself, the oracle told him he had to work free
the next person that came through his door. It was then when Orunla
showed up at Orunla´s door at first hours in the morning and demanded
a Seeing. Orunla, remembering his own Seeing, consulted Eleggua and
worked him for free. As Eleggua left happily with his work, he found
in the forest a servant of Olofin who told him that Olofin was feeling
ill and asked if he knew anyone that could cure him. Immediately eleggua
jumped and mentioned Orunla´s name. Afterwards they both went
looking for Orunla and took him before Olofin. Once there, Orunla mixed
several herbs and made a potion for Olofin to drink. As this all happenned,
Eleggua stood silently at the door. After a few minutes, Olofin stood
up and announced that he was feeling fine, and decided to give a gift
to each. To Orunla, he decided to give the knowledge of the world. To
Eleggua, since he stood so steadily at the door, he decided to give
him the doorways and the routes so that anyone that decided to enter
or to leave would require his permission. This is why Eleggua must eat
at the beginning of any ceremony.
Ceremonies
Eleggua has two versions, Eleggua of Ifá or Eleggua
of Ocha. Eleggua of Ifá is the one showed above and can be received
at any moment, although it is generally received with the other Guerreros
(Warriors) in the same ceremony. Eleggua of Ocha is received with the
other saints in the Ceremony of Ocha or Santo. |