Big Joe says part of this sign is in Spanish while the rest could be Haitian? It says something about mysterious powers.
Don't Lose Your FaithThe New Year will be Better!
Buy Our 21 Plan+New Year Bath For
Only $12 and Free Champaign.
There are a number of murky looking botanicas on the Bushwick border of Bed-Stuy. This one is particularly mysterious in that the interior looks like someone's sadly neglected attic. Boxes and furniture mix with a spotty glass counter. Every randomly displayed item is covered in an inch of dust and is without a price tag. I find the collection of Christian artifacts nestled in between African, Buddhist ones, plus what looks like a smattering of kitsch, fascinating. Happily, it appears that although it's nearly September, it's not too late to improve your year with the "21 Plan" and bath or maybe just the free "champaign." But the strangest thing about this particular store is that no one ever seems to be around to sell you anything. How they pay their rent is beyond me. It truly is mysterious, like the storefronts with psychics in Manhattan in fancy neighbourhoods like SoHo and Greenwich Village, where no one ever seems to be having their fortune read. But then again, I suppose if one is a follower of santeria or lives in the fourth dimension, paying rent is hardly a concern.
3 comments:
Haitian isn't a language. Haitians do speak Kreyol and that isn't it. Given Vodou/Santeria have Yoruba (the religion) roots, it could be Yoruba (the language) or some sort of derivative.
the rest of the words aren't any specific language. those are the names of all the spirits/god/saints you'll find in santeria/voodoo/misterios (depending where youre from and whatever you choose to call it). if you grow up in that culture, you're familiar with all the names.
As a practicioner I can tell you that you are right about the rent thing.
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