Who is Santo Expedito in umbanda? Syncretism with the Orisha Logunedé!

Religious syncretism is responsible for creating the connection between Santo Expedito and Logunedé. There is not necessarily a clear explanation as to why the two have come to be compared, but there is an explanation that simplifies the relationship.

The connection between the two is due to the fact that they have some very similar characteristics of representation. History fails to clearly highlight the details of St. Expeditus’s life and death.

There is a mystery about these details, indicating that the time when the saint died may not be the one they estimate. Due to the mystery of the history of Santo Expedito, the comparisons due to the similarity and his posture, he and the Orisha Logunedé ended up being syncretized in this way. Check out more details in this article!

The central reason why the Saint and the Orisha are associated is because Saint Expedito is represented in a way that he always appears with two specific objects in his hands: a cross and a palm branch. Logunené, in turn, always appears with a mirror and a bow and arrow.

Another factor that links the two is that the Orixá completes the well-known Catholic trilogy: father, son and Holy Spirit. Longunedé has a very strong duality and at one point he is with his mother, while at another he is with his father. Therefore, he forms this Yoruba triangle, which is also seen by the Catholic Church as the trilogy.

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Syncretism is a mixture of different doctrines that end up forming a new one. It has cultural, philosophical and religious character. The idea of ​​this practice is to maintain the main characteristics of the basic doctrines that served to create the new one.

Therefore, details such as superstitions, rituals, ideologies and processes are maintained in general. The best known, in this case, is the religious one, which mixes one or more beliefs, transforming them into a new doctrine that carries the essential and main characteristics of the original doctrines.

In Brazil, religious syncretism is very much expressed by historical issues, which are shown through colonization and the formation of the Brazilian people. This is due to the complex historical process the country went through, in which different cultures were forcibly inserted.

Therefore, this situation goes beyond the limits of everything that has been documented. This is also why several distinct religious matrices can be observed, such as Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Spiritualism and much more.

Cultural syncretism is one of the best known models of syncretism. He can explain some issues, such as the societies that emerged in Latin America and were born from the union of other cultures, such as Amerindian, European and African.

There is also aesthetic syncretism, which is the mixture of various artistic and cultural influences, which are the common thread to form a new artistic movement. This refers to the period in which a new artistic movement is being created and executed, such as, for example, pre-modernism, from the 10’s in Brazil.

The history of Santo Expedito has some gaps that have not been filled over the years and he came to be seen in a folkloric way, because much was passed on through his image and assumptions about the saint.

Some stories point out details of the origin, death and other aspects about Santo Expedito, but there are not many certainties about him in life, in fact. This lack of concrete information has even become the target of researchers.

Thus, Santo Expedito, despite being worshiped in several religions and by several people today, has a whole mystery around him, due to the lack of rich details about his experiences and actions in the world.

Learn more about the history of Santo Expedito and other details below!

The story of Santo Expedito is still very confusing, but it is known that this was a martyred saint in the fourth century in Melitene, Armenia. About his life, there is not much information, not even about his death and burial, something that is the subject of research until the present moment.

Many people even questioned the existence of the Saint due to the lack of information, highlighting that he could just be a religious legend. What is known about him is that Santo Expedito was a soldier who ended up being touched by the grace of God and left the army. That’s why he was killed.

The image of Santo Expedito shows a Roman soldier dressed as a legionary. He appears wearing a tunic, a mantle and armor, which highlights the history of the Saint and his connection with the army, also corroborating his death.

In addition, he still appears in a martial posture, holding, in one of his hands, the palm of martyrdom and, in the other, the cross on which the word Hodie can be read, which makes a connection with the legend that represents his history.

The main representation of Santo Expedito for his faithful is the fact that he is the saint of impossible and urgent causes. Thus, he is the one to turn to in the face of a situation that seems to have no solution and that needs to be resolved immediately.

This attribution is due to a story related to the saint. According to what the story tells, a crow appeared to him and told him to do something that should only be done the next day. Santo Expedito did not hear the crow and replied saying ‘Hodie’, which means ‘Today’.

Santo Expedito, known for being the solver of urgent causes, managed to convert several soldiers to hear his call, but ended up being killed on April 19, according to what is known about his history, which is still very mysterious.

Due to this record, the day of Santo Expedito was marked as April 19, in which the saint is celebrated by the religions that celebrate his existence and have several devotees who believe in his achievements in life.

The most traditional prayer to Santo Expedido consists of a request for help from the afflicted, as this is the saint responsible for helping those who are in a difficult situation and who need urgent solutions to their problems.

In one of the excerpts of the prayer made to Saint Expeditus, the following is highlighted:

“My Holy Expeditious of just and urgent causes
Help me in this hour of distress and despair
Intercede for me with Our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Logunedé is an Orisha known for being one of the most beautiful, something that could not be different, since he is the son of Oxum and Oxossi. Therefore, he inherited from his parents some essential characteristics, such as his gentle manner and grace, which came from Oxum, and happiness and his hunting spirit, coming from Oxossi.

Due to these influences, Logundé is known for the way he expresses both feminine and masculine characteristics in his actions and postures. This way of acting causes him to be represented as a young figure.

Thanks to his very strong duality, the Orisha divides his time as follows: a period with his father, in which he accompanies him through the woods and develops his skills as a hunter, and a period in which he stays with his mother, through the rivers, learning to be a great fisherman.

See more about Logunedé below!

Logunedé’s story shows a little of the way Oxossi and Oxum lived. The two, despite loving each other, could not live together, due to the differences in their customs. But when Oxum became pregnant, Oxossi proposed that he take care of the child and said that he would teach him everything he knew, so that he would become a warrior and an excellent hunter.

Oxum, however, did not want to be away from his son and proposed to Oxossi that Logunedé stay with him for six months and that he return to her to stay for six more. Thus, Logunedé was raised by his parents, with this separation, and he learned to be a great hunter and the best fisherman.

The image of Logunedé shows its colors, which are golden yellow and turquoise blue. The Orisha is considered without qualities due to the particularities that form it. That’s because Logunedé has the ability to transform himself into what he wants.

Due to the fact that he focuses on 3 different energies, his own, Oxum’s and Oxossi’s, he is able to achieve this feat. Therefore, his image is that of a warrior and a fisherman who carries the colors of his parents.

The day of the week to celebrate Logunedé in Umbanda and Candomblé terreiros is Thursday, when events dedicated to the Orixá can be held, to celebrate its strength and qualities.

But the day to celebrate, in fact, Logunedé is April 19, the same day that Santo Expedito is celebrated due to the religious syncretism between the two. On that day, Logunedé receives several tributes through offerings and prayers.

Logunedé was always an active child and, when passing through the deep waters with his mother, he was always warned not to go too far, because there lived Obá, who had a very big hatred for Oxum.

Upon noticing the boy’s presence, Obá tried to drown the child, which left Oxum so desperate that she decided to ask Olorum for help. He saved the boy, but handed him over to Iansã, because he thought it was dangerous for him to be in an area of ​​confrontation between Oxum and Obá. Iansã, who was Ogun’s wife at that time, raised Logunedé as if he were her son.

The prayer made to Logunedé highlights the jovial way in which the Orisha is seen and serves so that devotees can ask for protection for this powerful warrior. Read the prayer made to Logunedé below:

“Boy God, Logunedé, lord of games and constant joys
Child God of the blessings of life and the sparkling earth
Child God of abebé and ifá that your attention is on me
Boy God of Gold of Rainbow Stones

Boy God of the bow and arrow who points the destiny
Boy God of Prosperity
boy king of kindness
Boy God guard my steps

Baby God take me in his arms
Baby God, lord of the world, lord of hope, guide my steps under your yellow and green mantle. Saravá Logunedé”

As much as there is syncretism between Logunedé and Santo Expedito, there is no clear explanation for why the two are associated. What…