Cuban high priests of the Afro-Cuban Santería religion have issued their annual Letter of the Year for 2026, predicting increased domestic violence, health crises, and social ethical decline amid Cuba’s ongoing economic challenges, while urging spiritual rituals and family strengthening to mitigate risks.
On 1 January 2026, senior priest Carlos Argudín Valenzuela of the Yoruba Cultural Association of Cuba announced the Letter of the Year 2026 in Havana, foretelling potential rises in domestic violence, nervous system diseases, and alcoholism under the ruling sign of Ogunda Otrupon, with Oggún as the main deity and Oshún as companion, according to CiberCuba and Cuba Headlines.
Yoruba Cultural Association Reveals Prophecies in Annual Ceremony
The Yoruba Cultural Association of Cuba, a key institution for Afro-Cuban religious practices, conducted its traditional New Year’s ceremony on 31 December 2025 at its headquarters on Prado #615 between Monte and Dragones streets in Old Havana, where Ifá priests consulted the oracle to determine the 2026 predictions, as reported by CiberCuba and Cuba Headlines. The event, presided over by Carlos Argudín Valenzuela, known as Awo Ogunda She Omo Ala Aggayú, involved rituals, sacrifices, and consultations attended by the association’s Board of Directors, senior priest councils from across Cuba, provincial branches, international affiliates, and guests from other countries. The resulting Letter of the Year 2026 identifies Ogunda Otrupon as the ruling sign, accompanied by the prophetic prayer Iré arikú oyale lowo Orula, which promises strong health under Orula’s protection, according to CiberCuba.
As reported by unattributed staff for CiberCuba, the letter warns of a potential increase in domestic violence and the loss of ethical values, alongside continued migration flows, while recommending collective hygiene, prevention of nervous and digestive diseases, and offerings to deities such as Oggún, Oshún, and San Lázaro to maintain harmony.
Health and Social Warnings Echo Past Predictions
The 2026 prophecies highlight risks of nervous system and encephalic diseases, chemical and food poisoning, lower abdominal issues, digestive problems, and alcoholism as a growing social scourge, urging believers to address these through spiritual cleansings and family support, according to Cuba Headlines. Proverbs from the sign, including “In the house of the blacksmith, the knife is made of wood,” “A well-embedded nail is hard to remove,” “A war that begins doesn’t end,” and “There’s nothing like a mother’s blessing,” underscore themes of learning from errors, avoiding prolonged conflicts, and valuing maternal roles, as detailed by Cuba Headlines. These forecasts build on similar warnings from prior years, such as the Yoruba Cultural Association’s 2024 predictions of more violence and financial problems announced by high priests, according to Local10.
Spiritual Recommendations for National Stability
Ifá advises reinforcing family and social education, encouraging fathers to support mothers in child-rearing, making offerings to Oshún for peace, and receiving or caring for the deity Oya to curb domestic disputes, while believers should cleanse at San Lázaro’s feet and avoid conflicts to prevent violence, as stated in reports from CiberCuba and Cuba Headlines. The oracle also calls for maintaining faith in Yoruba traditions and spiritual balance to foster collective progress amid predicted social behaviour deterioration.
Priests Highlight Broader Societal Concerns
Babalawo Rancell Montero, speaking in a related religious context, expressed alarm over rising prostitution, drug trafficking, and alcohol and drug consumption among Cuban youth, questioning societal efforts to protect the young and calling for religious interventions, according to Associated Press video footage described in search results. “What we are seeing (in Cuban society) is prostitution day and night. We are seeing drug trafficking, alcohol and drug consumption is on the rise in the country. What are we doing to clean up and take care of our youth? What are we doing? We have to work from the religious point of view,” Rancell Montero stated. He further noted that Cuba requires significant changes, emphasising the need to listen to the Cuban people. These comments align with the Yoruba Cultural Association’s ceremonies, which feature drumming, dancing, and warnings about rituals needed to avert negatives, set against Cuba’s economic crisis involving shortages, fuel scarcity, blackouts, and migration waves, as covered by Associated Press.
The predictions come as Afro-Cuban Santería priests have repeatedly raised alarms about escalating violence, health issues, and homicides in recent letters, including 2024 forecasts of illnesses, ruptures, and violence by priests wearing yellow and green caps while playing Bata drums, according to Africanews.
According to unattributed staff for Cuba Headlines, Orula foresees increased domestic disputes and violence, advising care for Oya and learning from national mistakes to improve, while CiberCuba reports the full lyrics of the 2026 letter emphasise family unity and respect for mothers as home stability cornerstones.
The Letter of the Year 2026 underscores persistent calls from Santería leaders for spiritual and communal actions to address violence, health threats, ethical erosion, and youth issues in Cuba, with recommendations centred on rituals to Oggún, Oshún, San Lázaro, and Oya, alongside strengthened family education, as sourced from CiberCuba, Cuba Headlines, and Associated Press reports.
Cuban Santería priests, through the Yoruba Cultural Association’s 1 January 2026 announcement in Havana led by Carlos Argudín Valenzuela, have forecasted a year marked by risks of domestic violence, health ailments, alcoholism, and social decline under Ogunda Otrupon, while babalawo Rancell Montero urges action on youth protection and societal change amid economic hardships.
