La Promesa

Notes

Examines devotion in Cuba to San Lázaro (Babalú-Ayé) at Rincón, where pilgrims perform acts of mortification as a "promise" to the deity for favors desired. Rincón is the site of a Roman Catholic Church dedicated to God in the name of San Lázaro (Saint Lazarus of Bethany). Local identification of the name Lazarus (Lázaro) with the beggar character from a parable in the New Testament and the similarity between that character and the image of the Yoruban deity Babalú-Ayé, have blended to create a local deity. The shrine at Rincón is considered by the followers of San Lázaro/Babalú-Ayé to be the house of their deity, a situation which causes difficulty for the Roman Catholic community present there. Film shows documentary footage of some of the practices associated with this cult and reveals some of the social problems which seem to fuel the desperation of these acts

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