Police find remnants of suspected ritual

Deepa Bharath

NEWPORT BEACH -- Police said Friday that they found three beheaded

chickens washed ashore, believed to be the remnants of a ritual recently

performed on the beach.

The carcasses were found Wednesday on the wet sand east of the Newport

Pier, said police Sgt. Mike McDermott.

The discovery is not uncommon in the area, he said.

“We have found chickens and candles in the past in the same area,” he

said.

McDermott said the ritual is typical of Santeria, an Afro-Caribbean

religion that melds Catholic saints and rituals with animal sacrifices,

hexes and blessings.

Santeria followers attempt to please “o7 orishasf7 ,” or spirits,

that interact with humans by controlling nature and satisfying their

needs.

Depending on the particularo7 orishaf7 that they wish to please,

followers use certain colors, animals and play particular drumbeats

during their rituals.

Beheading chickens, especially for a religious ritual, cannot be

considered a crime, McDermott said.

“Religious freedom is usually protected,” he said. “And cutting off a

chicken’s head is usually how you’d slaughter them for eating.”

At the most, the act could be considered a minor violation of city

code for someone leaving carcasses on the beach, he said.

The ritual has occurred previously along the quarter-mile stretch of

beach east of the pier, said Eric Mets, senior animal control officer.

Dead birds have been found once or twice a year over the last three

years, he said.

It does not seem to occur in a particular time of the year, Mets said.

“It’s mostly chickens we’ve seen,” he said. “But a few times, there

were ducks and doves.”