Babalu Aye: The Orisha of Healing and How to Honor Him

Among all the Orishas in the Lucumí-Yoruba tradition, Babalu Aye stands apart as the most deeply human. He is the Orisha of illness, healing, contagious disease, and the earth itself. Where other Orishas reign over forces of nature or cosmic power, Babalu Aye walks among the suffering, the outcasts, and the sick — offering compassion, healing, and miraculous recovery to those who call on him with sincerity and humility.

Who Is Babalu Aye?

Babalu Aye (also spelled Babalú Ayé, or called Obaluaye in Brazil) is the Orisha who governs illness and disease — not to cause suffering, but to heal it. He is said to have contracted a terrible skin disease and was cast out by the other Orishas. He wandered the earth in poverty and pain before being healed and returning with the power to both inflict and cure disease. This journey gives him profound empathy for human suffering.

In the Catholic syncretism of Cuba, Babalu Aye is strongly identified with Saint Lazarus, the biblical beggar covered in sores who was raised from the dead by Jesus. His feast day, December 17th, draws hundreds of thousands of devotees to his shrine in El Rincón, Cuba, many crawling on their knees as acts of gratitude for healing received.

Babalu Aye's Colors, Numbers, and Sacred Items

His colors are purple and gold, sometimes with tan and burlap representing the rough garments of the poor. His sacred number is 17. His symbols include:

• Crutches or a walking stick — representing his illness and his power over those who suffer
• Dogs — sacred to him as healers who lick wounds
• Burlap or sackcloth — the garments of the suffering
• A broom made of palm fronds (called sojú) — used to sweep away disease and illness

Honor him with a Babalu Aye statue and the proper ritual items on his altar. A powerful San Lazaro figurine with his characteristic crutches and purple cape makes a meaningful centerpiece for his altar space.

Offerings and Prayers to Babalu Aye

Babalu Aye responds to humble, heartfelt offerings from those seeking healing. His preferred offerings include:

• Popcorn — perhaps his most well-known offering, thrown over the devotee as a blessing
• Sesame seeds and grains
• Dry red wine or corn liquor
• Cigars and tobacco
• Coconut and palm oil
• Purple and gold candles — burned with deep, personal prayer

When petitioning Babalu Aye, always approach him with humility and complete honesty. He sees through pretense and responds best to raw, genuine prayer. Commit to an ebó (offering) as a form of contract — promise something in return if he grants your petition and always fulfill your promises.

Calling on Babalu Aye for Healing

If you or a loved one is facing illness, Babalu Aye is the Orisha to call. Light a purple candle, place it in front of his statue, and speak your situation aloud. Ask him to intercede with compassion. Offer a plate of popcorn and a small amount of dry wine. Thank him before and after your prayer, acknowledging his power and mercy.

Many devotees also make a pilgrimage-like commitment — crawling to a shrine or walking barefoot to a crossroads as an act of sacrifice and devotion when asking for healing of serious illness.

Honor Babalu Aye with Authentic Ritual Items

Explore our dedicated Babalu Aye / San Lazaro collection at Aura Zen Store. We carry statues in multiple sizes, ritual candles, capes, and altar tools specifically crafted to honor this compassionate and powerful healer. Browse our Candles & Incense collection for purple devotional candles and our Orisha tools for complete altar supplies.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Who is Babalu Aye in Santeria and Yoruba tradition?

A: Babalu Aye is the Orisha of healing, disease, and physical affliction — specifically skin diseases, infectious illness, and epidemics. Rather than causing illness, he is the divine healer who has authority over these conditions and the power to cure them. He is deeply compassionate toward the sick and the poor. His Catholic syncretization is Saint Lazarus (San Lázaro), patron of the sick, and his feast day (December 17) draws massive pilgrimages in Cuba and Miami.

Q: What is the connection between Babalu Aye and San Lazaro?

A: The colonial-era syncretism paired Babalu Aye with the biblical Lazarus, the beggar covered with sores who appears in the parable of Lazarus and the rich man. Both figures are associated with illness, poverty, dogs (which lick wounds), and miraculous healing. In Cuba, the December 17 procession to the Shrine of San Lazaro in El Rincón draws hundreds of thousands of pilgrims, many crawling on their knees to fulfill vows made when they recovered from illness.

Q: What offerings does Babalu Aye accept?

A: Babalu Aye's offerings include toasted corn (afán), sesame (ajonjolí), smoked fish, smoked jutía (a rodent), purple grapes, and rum mixed with palm oil. He loves purple and burlap (gunny sack), and his altar items should have this color and texture. His sacred number is 17, and he rules Monday. Aura Zen Store carries Babalu Aye candles, statues, and novena lights for prayers to San Lazaro.

Q: How do I pray to Babalu Aye for healing?

A: Light a purple candle (or a San Lazaro/Babalu Aye novena candle) and place a glass of cool water, a small portion of toasted corn, and a handful of sesame seeds at the base. Speak to him humbly, acknowledging that all healing comes from above, and state clearly what healing you are seeking — for yourself or a loved one. Many devotees also promise to perform a charitable act (such as feeding the poor) in exchange for his intercession.

Q: What are the signs that Babalu Aye is calling you or is your guardian Orisha?

A: Those called by Babalu Aye often have a deep empathy for suffering, a calling toward health and healing professions, a history of serious illness that was overcome, or a fascination with the mysteries of life and death. They tend to be humble, hardworking, and deeply spiritual. If an Ifa or Dilogun reading indicates Babalu Aye as your head Orisha, working with him requires strict observance of his prohibitions, particularly avoidance of pork.

Q: Does Babalu Aye have any taboos or prohibitions?

A: Yes — Babalu Aye's children and devotees traditionally avoid pork (his mythology involves a pig taboo in some lineages), must maintain a high standard of personal cleanliness, and should avoid mockery of the sick or disabled. Some lineages also prohibit salt or restrict certain foods. When making offerings, the prescribed items should be used — substituting arbitrarily can invalidate the work and even offend this sensitive Orisha.