Here’s a somewhat bizarre story of a neighborhood in Havana harboring an abundance of twins. It’s not a government scheme or a fertility drug experiment. Just a coincidence, meaningful or random, depending on your perspective. For the locals, there’s a sacred tree involved, one that sprouts miracles.
Twelve sets of twins reside in a two-block area in on 68-A Street in western Havana. That’s about four times above what would be average for those two blocks where about 225 people reside in 70 houses.
The twins range in age from newborns to senior citizens. “We were the first ones,” Fe Fernandez, 65, told Associated Press reporter Peter Orsi, who took interest in the seemingly coincidental allocation of twins. “It’s incredible!” said her identical sister, Esperanza.
Ten of the twin sets here are identical, and the other two fraternal. None of the mothers interviewed by the AP said they had received fertility treatments. None of the families are related to each other.
All but one of the sets were born into these homes, and the lone newcomers moved into a house that was vacated by twins who moved to Spain. Others have died or moved away over the years.
The AP report notes that scientists say a variety of factors play into twin births, such as race, the mother’s age and diet. Western Africa, from where many Afro-Cubans can trace their ancestry, has significantly elevated rates of twinning.
While there’s been no scholarly study of the twins on 68-A Street, the residents consider themselves part of a special community. And many relate the unique character of their neighborhood to a tree, hence, finding meaning in the abundance of coincidental twins.
“Many say it’s the Siguaraya tree, which people ask for things,” Fe Fernandez said. “The people believe in it strongly.”
Leafy and embellished with delicate white blossoms, the Siguaraya is considered sacred in the syncretic Afro-Cuban Santeria faith and is associated with a powerful “orisha,” or spirit.
A little background for those not familiar with Santeria…
In Cuba, the Yoruba of West Africa are known as Lucumí. The Yoruba were brought as slaves to Cuba in the nineteenth century. They are the descendants of diviners and herbalists who deal with mysteries intrinsic in nature. For them, herbs and plants are more than mere sources of food and medicine. The Lucumí revere and respect their flora from a spiritual perspective as well.
Certain plants and trees, like the Siguaraya (trichilia havanenses), which they believe embodies an orisha, a force of nature and the Ceiba tree (ceiba pentandra), have powers for healing the body but more so, for healing the spirit and soul as well. (We’ve written about a Ceiba tree in Key West, which people also visit for healing and blessings.)
In the spiritual folklore and mythology of Cuba, permission is asked of sacred plants and trees before they are cut or felled. The great Cuban singer and band leader of the 1940s,50s and 60s, Beny Moré, sang a beautiful song written by the outstanding pianist and composer Lino Frías, dedicated to the Siguaraya, a plant considered medicinal and magical by the Lucumí. Lino made this evident when he wrote Mata Siguaraya; he says:
En mi cuba nace una mata, que sin permiso no se
puede tumba eh. No se puede tumba eh, porque son
Orisa. Esa mata nace en el monte, esa mata tiene
poder. Esa mata es Siguaraya!
In my Cuba grows a plant, without permission you may
not cut it down. You may not cut it down because it is an Oricha.
That plant grows in the forest, that plant has powers, that plant is Siguaraya!
Here’s the tree in question in Havana’s neighborhood of twins…
Interesting story re the twins and the trees. I do know from personal experience that trees do have spirits and can be protectors. Back in the sixties when I was in my late teens I used to work the night shift at an A & W in Oakville, Ontario. Often in the summer after work (about 11 to 12 pm depending on how long the cleanup and restocking took) I would not be tired enough to go to bed. Instead I would go to a park that was close to home on the shores of Lake Ontario. There I would sit out on the dock and listen to the waves (it is a big enough lake to have waves) or sit under the big trees . Often I would take some LSD and eventually would get too tired to make the trip home so would just sleep there on the dock or lying under the trees. I never felt afraid or alone as I felt the trees were somehow protecting me. One night I remember lying there looking up at the tree and I heard it’s thoughts. It said “silly girl what are you doing here when you have a soft warm bed at home?” A few years ago I went back there with my daughter and told her the story of me and the trees. We walked around the park and my trees were still there but it was not the same in the day and with all the other people around. I am not sure that they recognized me but I still felt their spirits. I have been a tree hugger ever since.
I often walk through our backyard and talk to all the plants. We have 3 mango trees that have produced erratically this past summer, so I’ve been talking to them more often.
“… permission is asked of sacred plants and trees before they are cut or felled” – reminded me of Findhorn in Scotland and their attitude to plants.
Interesting post, I like the idea of respecting and getting in tune with nature.
Findhorn is on my bucket list. Would love to see it. The whole story about the place is inspiring.
I love this. I talk to the trees around my house everyday. I have my favorites, but I send good wishes to all of them in the forest, as well as the Lake. I’ve noticed they’ve been stressed lately and was happy to see a light snow shower yesterday. The drought has hit hard in the Sierras.
I heard today on NPR that Arizona has had the most scorching hot weather ever – 100 degrees plus daily. Weather everywhere is nuts.