A Cuban practitioner of the Ifá religion went viral on Instagram by showcasing the ancient popular technique known as "removing the sun" from the head, a remedy passed down through generations to relieve pain caused by sunstroke.
Harold Gainza, known on social media as @gainza__ogbe_roso, demonstrated how he applies the practice to another person while explaining his family background: "This is a lesson from my mom in Cuba. I am taking the sun out of a person's head."
The video description summarizes in a few words the essence of the content: "Learning from the elders eases the soul".
The technique involves placing an inverted glass of water on the person's head, supported by a towel, which creates bubbles that are popularly interpreted as the extraction of heat accumulated from the sun.
The video accumulated over 170,000 views, triggering a wave of memories among Cubans familiar with that practice.
"When I was a child and came back from the beach, my mom would do it to get the sun off me, thousands of blessings," wrote one user. Another person stated, "They still do it for me from time to time, and it's the best thing ever; forget about medication, it completely relieves your head."
Many users requested a step-by-step explanation of the method, while others confessed that they are still using it today, decades after learning it from their mothers or grandmothers.
The practice has its roots in Cuban traditional medicine and has historically fused with 19th-century spiritualism and with traditions from Afro-Cuban culture.
However, medical experts have pointed out that the method lacks scientific support for treating heat stroke. Nevertheless, among the recommendations for dealing with heat exhaustion, one is to apply cold, wet towels and stay hydrated.
This type of content is part of a sustained trend among Cubans who share on social media customs and knowledge passed down from their elders, ranging from Santería and Ifá rituals to home remedies, creating a strong sense of identity both on the island and in the diaspora.
The chronic scarcity of medications in Cuba, a direct consequence of 67 years of communist dictatorship, is one of the factors that keeps these traditional remedies alive in the Cuban collective imagination.
Filed under: