The Rosary in Sao Tome and Principe: prayer of the islands

Sao Tome and Principe · Devotion of the Rosary · LusoAfrican tradition

The Holy Rosary is the most rooted Marian devotion in Sao Tome and Principe. The Santotoman families meet every afternoon to pray the Rosary, a tradition inherited from the Portuguese missionaries who have resisted centuries of slavery, colonization and independence.

The Rosary on the islands of the equator

The Holy Rosary arrived in Sao Tome and Principe with the first Portuguese missionaries in the 15th century. The colonizers, who brought slaves from the African coast to work on sugar cane and later cocoa plantations, imposed the Catholic religion on the slaves. The Rosary was one of the first prayers taught to enslaved Africans.

Over time, the Rosary became a prayer of the Santotomens. The slaves and their descendants adopted Marian devotion as a form of spiritual resistance: in a context of oppression, the Virgin Mary was the Mother who comforted those who suffered.

The practice of the Rosary today

In today's Sao Tome and Principe, the Rosary is praying in almost all Catholic families. The tradition of "terço" (third) - the prayer of the Rosary in the family - is one of the most widespread devotional practices in the country. Families meet in the afternoon, usually after dinner, to pray the mysteries of the Rosary.

The Rosary's cofradies are present in all parishes of the islands. The members undertake to pray the Rosary daily and to participate in the Marian celebrations. The processions of the Rosary, especially in May and October, bring together thousands of faithful in the streets of Sao Tomé and the other localities.

The Forro Language and the Rosary

The lining (or sãotomense) is a Portuguese-based Creole language spoken by the majority of the population of Sao Tomé. The Rosary is prayed in both Portuguese and lining, and the laurethane litany have been adapted to the Creole language. Marian songs in lining are a unique expression of the Latin African Catholic faith.

The Virgin Mary and the culture of the islands

The culture of Sao Tome and Principe is a mixture of Portuguese and African elements. The Marian devotion reflects this fusion: the celebrations of the Virgin Mary include songs in Portuguese and lining, dances of Bantu origin, and festive gastronomy with dishes such as calulu (a stew of fish and vegetables). The Virgin Mary is the patron of the islands, the protector of the fishermen and the blessing of the cocoa crops.