Читать книгу 100 Places in Cuba Every Woman Should Go - Conner Gorry - Страница 27

RECIPE FOR A PERFECT DAY in Havana: shake off your mojito hangover with a double espresso accompanied by unparalleled views of the Capitolio on the roof of the Hotel Saratoga (preferred hotel of Jimmy Page, Beyoncé, Madonna, and Justin Bieber—who didn’t want to vacate the Presidential Suite for Pope Francisco’s visit), before heading next door to the Asociación Yoruba de Cuba for a crash course in Afro-Cuban religions—Santería, Abakuá, and Palo Monte. The first is the most popular, practiced widely, while Abakuá is a secret society (membership open only to men) flirting with black magic and ghoulish interventions. In Abakuá, the biblical precept of “an eye for an eye” is taken seriously: violence, sometimes fatal, is rained upon those crossing an adherent. Palo Monte falls somewhere in between, with herbal concoctions and communing with the dead employed to harness supernatural powers. If you’ve ever wondered why so many people are wearing white, from their head wraps to their umbrellas, this is the place to find out (they’re being initiated into Santería—the island’s most popular faith by far). Weave your way through Habana Vieja’s choked, cobblestoned streets to the new ferry terminal near the Plaza de Armas and hop on the ferry with gaggles of locals to Regla, across the bay.

Known as “Sierra Chiquita” for its revolutionary fervor, Regla transcends time and space when you step from the still-rocking boat. Suddenly, you’re in a small Cuban town in the countryside where pedestrians outnumber cars and many homes are listing wooden structures with signs reading “esta es tu casa, Fidel,” hanging askew on the front door. Regla is also known as a Santería hotspot. As soon as you disembark, you’ll see the spire of the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de Regla, housing the black Madonna (La Santísima Virgen de Regla). She’s a powerful deity, representing Yemayá, orisha of the sea and heartily worshipped, particularly on her saint day, September 8, when thousands come to this church to pay their respects and the Virgin is carried through the town’s narrow streets. On any given day, you can have your future read via shells by devotees outside the church. Leave some time to wander the narrow streets, where you can drink pru, a spicy concoction with a secret formula famous in Cuba’s eastern provinces. Folks from Regla are extraordinarily friendly—grab a bench in the town’s central park for a little mingling.