7 DIVISIONES, 21 DIVISIONES, Fulas & Paños

Paños, Banderas and Candles

La 21 Division Del Panteon Sancista
de los 7 Jefes

The Emisarios / Sances work with various paños, and candles representing the Punto Misterios which have their own traditional colors of banderas and paños that are placed along the edge of the altar, usually seven various colors for the tableau representing the Siete Jefes or 9 are used on the Ancestral shrine to symbolize both the number of the dead and the many incarnations one takes, the many roads of elevation as well as the many races that took to make up the person alive today.  

In many ceremonies of Initiation, Seven various colored candles or a seven day candle of seven colors is used.  Each of the colors, both with the candles and the paños represent one or more Sanses and Misterio.  Black is rarely used as a candle color on the Tableau unless combating or battling occult enemies and for the Guedes, which in that case the black candle would go on the floor and usually accompanied with a purple or yellow candle.  A black candle alone would symbolize either working black magic, or giving light to that which is unseen.
Seven candles "velas, velon or candelas" are usually used for peace and protection while nine is used for ending, and removal.  Some use three candles to represent the three divisions.  Example: white or yellow to symbolize the White Division, Red or black to symbolize the "Fuego" black division and blue or green to symbolize the "Agua Dulce" Indian division.
While in Puerto Rican Sance the Altar is often called La Tableau Espiritual or simply "el altar" the room housing the altar is simply La Sala del altar or el Santuario and the cloth are called Paños, in Dominican 21 Divisiones the altar or altar room is called the Badji and the paños are called Fulas.

The Paños hold great importance both in Sanse and 21 Division.  They are often used by the Misterios or Emisarios, to wrap around the head or across their chest, in their preferred colors or used to cleanse individuals from causas.  The Black Paño is often used when un Espiritu Burlon takes possession of a Medium.   These Paños are received during one of the initation ceremony, and only used when Laborando los Seres.

Unlike Haitian Vodou that use elaborate Banderas for the Loases, in Puerto Rican Sanse and Dominican 21 Divisiones, the paños and fulas are more simple.  Traditionally they where cloth material left over from a seamstress or bandanna or simple patterned fulas that one finds at a local botanica or other store.  

Many also use flags that represent a culture for a Commission of Spirits such as Pirate Flags, Taino Flags, Puerto Rican flags, or a flag that may represents their political views such as the Nationalist Flags on Independence Flags.

Colors of the Paños and Candles.

1. Yellow =. Las Metresas, Solier & Guedés.
2. White =  Belcanes  and Gran Solier
3. Blue =  La Sirena, Agua Dulce Division.
4. Green = The Indios, Ogunes, Belcanes
5. Pink = The Metresas, las Gitanas
6. Purple = The Guedés
7. Red = The Candelos, Belcanes, Ogunes, Legbas, and Congos.
8. Orange = The Metresas
9. Brown = The Legbas
10. Black can also be used for the Sances of the Legbas, Guedés, The Ogun, and Candelos

Color Patterns

1. Loa Guedes = Black Purple and Yellow for Guedes
2. Las Madamas = Madras or plaid design depending on the Division they serve. 
3. Red and White
4. Blue and White
5. Orange and White
6. Green and White
7. Yellow and White
8. Las Gitana = Red Purple and Black
9. Los Indios = Yellow, Green and Red or Blue for Agua Dulce Division.
10. Los Congos =. Red and White
11. Los Negros = Yellow, Green and Red

Days of Week of the Siete Jefes Divisiones


Monday = Lebanes, Legba

Tuesday = Ogunes

Wednesday = Guedes

Thursday = Belcanes

Friday = Metresas.

Saturday = Candelos

Sunday = Indios, Solier

21 divisiones, 7 divisiones, fulas, espiritismo, sanse, brujeria, vudu, voodoo, vodou, sance