Babalú Ayé (San Lázaro): Orisha of Healing, His Patakí and December 17

Every December 17, the roads south of Havana fill with people walking through the night. Some are barefoot, some drag chains, some carry heavy stones on their backs, and many wear rough clothes of burlap (saco). They are going to the Santuario de San Lázaro in El Rincón to keep promises made in hard times. For Catholics they are visiting San Lázaro; for santeros they are honoring Babalú Ayé, the orisha of illness and healing. In Cuba and in Miami, no orisha is closer to the hearts of ordinary people. This guide explains who Babalú Ayé is in Cuban Regla de Ocha, his Arará roots, the patakí of his suffering and return, his symbols, his collar and his offerings, and the great pilgrimage of December 17.

Who Is Babalú Ayé?

Babalú Ayé, whose name is usually translated as "father, lord of the earth," is the orisha of illness and of healing. He is the one who can send disease, especially skin diseases and epidemics, and the one who can take it away. People turn to him for health, for protection from sickness and for help in times of great need.

He is an old and humble orisha, often shown walking with crutches, his body covered in sores, accompanied by two dogs. Because he knows suffering, he is believed to have special compassion for the sick, the poor and the rejected. He is deeply respected and also feared, and many devotees speak of him with great care, sometimes calling him simply "el viejo" (the old man) instead of saying his name casually.

He is also known as Asojano (also written Azojuano), the name used in the Arará tradition, and as Shopona or Sopona in Yorubaland.

Arará Roots: From Dahomey to Matanzas

Many Cuban houses consider Babalú Ayé to be of Arará origin. The Arará were people brought from Dahomey, today's Benin, and their religious tradition survives in Cuba, especially in Matanzas, where families such as the Baró of Jovellanos have kept their drums, songs and dances alive for generations. In Arará and in many Lucumí houses, his ceremonies keep their own songs and rules, and his secrets are guarded with special care.

The Patakí of His Suffering and Return

A well-known Cuban patakí tells that Babalú Ayé was once a strong and handsome man who liked women and pleasure. Olofin warned him to abstain on a holy day, but he did not listen. Soon his body broke out in sores, and the people who once admired him drove him away. Sick and alone, he died.

The other orishas, moved by his suffering, interceded for him. In many versions, Oshún used her honey and her sweetness to soften Olofin, and Orula and Elegguá helped him. Olofin brought Babalú Ayé back to life, and he traveled to the land of the Arará, where he was received as a king. The story teaches humility, the consequences of disobedience and, above all, that no one is too broken to be lifted up. Versions vary from house to house.

Another, Yoruba version tells that the old Shopona was laughed at when he stumbled while dancing at Obatalá's palace, and in anger he tried to spread illness among the orishas, so he was sent to live in the bush. Both stories show why he is respected and why he understands the outcast.

San Lázaro: Two Saints with One Name

In Cuba, Babalú Ayé is syncretized with San Lázaro. The interesting part is that there are two Lázaros. The one in the main altar of El Rincón is San Lázaro Obispo, a bishop dressed in purple. But the one that people love most is the poor Lázaro of the Gospel parable: the beggar covered in sores, on crutches, with dogs licking his wounds. Popular devotion, mixing Catholic faith with African tradition, adopted this humble Lázaro, and that is the image you see on most San Lázaro statues in Cuban homes.

December 17 at El Rincón

The Santuario Nacional de San Lázaro in El Rincón, on the outskirts of Havana, was inaugurated in 1917 next to a leprosarium, today a dermatological hospital. Every December 17, thousands of pilgrims arrive, many walking all night from Havana. They come to give thanks or to fulfill promises made for a sick child, a dangerous journey or a miracle received. Some walk barefoot or on their knees, some drag chains, some wear burlap. Behind the chapel is a fountain whose water is considered blessed, and devotees wet their faces and bodies with it.

In Miami and across the Cuban diaspora, devotees mark the date at home with a vigil on the night of the 16th, with candles, flowers, prayers and a novena to San Lázaro in the days before.

Colors, Numbers and Symbols

• Colors: purple in Catholic devotion. In Lucumí and Arará practice, burlap (saco) and beads of white with blue stripes, earth tones, black and cowrie shells.
• Numbers: 17 in popular devotion, because of his feast day. Many devotees also keep 17 oils for him.
• The ajá: his sacred broom, made of palm ribs and decorated with beads, cowrie shells and burlap. With it he sweeps away illness. An ajá for San Lázaro is one of his most important attributes.
• Two dogs and crutches, the companions of the humble Lázaro.
• Saco (burlap): the sign of humility. Many devotees dress their statue or themselves in a San Lázaro cape of burlap.

His Collar and Tools

The collar of San Lázaro is traditionally made of white beads with blue stripes, often combined with other earth tones and cowrie shells, depending on the house. His tools include the crutches, the dogs, and other small iron and metal pieces; a complete San Lázaro tool set brings them together.

When he is received in ceremony, Babalú Ayé lives in a clay vessel with holes in the lid, dressed in burlap and raffia, and kept low, close to the earth he rules. As with every orisha, tools sold in a botanica are not consecrated; they are prepared by priests.

Offerings Babalú Ayé Enjoys

His offerings are humble foods of the earth. In Cuban homes, devotees place:

• Toasted corn and roasted ears of corn, and other grains, especially beans
• Pan quemado (toasted bread)
• Coconut water and dry wine
• Garlic and onion
• Smoked fish, smoked jutía and coconuts
• Manteca de corojo

Grains are his most universal offering. Many devotees light a purple or yellow San Lázaro 7-day candle and place his offerings on the floor, close to the earth. For more on how offerings are given and removed, see our guide to orisha offerings.

How to Honor Babalú Ayé at Home

• Light a candle and pray to him for health, for the sick in your family and for strength in hard times.
• Keep a promise only if you can fulfill it. Promises to San Lázaro are taken very seriously.
• Give thanks when a prayer is answered, even in a small way.
• Show compassion to the sick and the poor. Helping someone in need is one of the best ways to honor him.
• Remember that prayer accompanies medicine; it does not replace it. Ask him for health, and also see your doctor.

For anything beyond these basic acts, such as receiving him or his collar, follow the guidance of your padrino or madrina and the oracle of your ilé.

Final Thoughts

Babalú Ayé is the orisha who knows pain from the inside. He was sick, rejected and forgotten, and he was lifted up again. That is why, every December 17, so many people walk through the night to his door. Whether you call him Babalú Ayé, Asojano or San Lázaro, honor him with humility and gratitude, and ask him to watch over the health of those you love. ¡Atotó!

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