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VoodooAlso
Vodou,
Vodoun or Vodun. A religious system with followers predominantly in Haiti in the West
Indies, and in other countries to which Haitians have immigrated. Developed by African
slaves brought to Haiti by the French between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries, it
combines features of African religion with the Roman Catholicism of the European settlers.
Voodoo is similar in many
ways to other Afro-American cults, such as Santeria in Cuba and Macumba
in Brazil. The term voodoo is thought to be derived from the word for 'spirit' in the Fon
language of Dahomey, now part of Nigeria. The voodoo religion involves belief in a supreme
god (bon dieu) and a host of spirits called loa. Most voodoo practices involve the loa,
which are often identified with Catholic saints. These spirits are closely related to
African gods and may represent natural phenomena — such as fire, water, or wind
— or dead persons, including eminent ancestors. They consist of two main groups: the
rada, often mild and helping, and the petro, which may be dangerous and harmful.
Voodoo rites include
special ceremonies in which the loa have the power to make their presence known. These are
characterized by music and dancing that lead the participants into a trancelike state in
which they are possessed by the loa. The spirit temporarily displaces the astral body of
the possessed person and occupies his or her physical body. The individual thus possessed
is said to be mounted by the loa and behaves and acts as the loa directs, usually in a man
ner characteristic of the loa itself. Priests called houngans or priestesses known as
mambos preside over these ceremonies.
Other voodoo practices
include animal sacrifices and pilgrimages. The focal point of a pilgrimage is usually a Christian church identified with a
particular voodoo spirit. The most important of these pilgrimages take place in July and
honor Ogou (Saint James) and Ezili Danto (Our Lady of Mount Carmel). Another aspect of
voodoo is called 'work of the left hand', which includes belief in zombies.
Related
audio:
Red Voodoo.
Reggae on the
Rocks:Voodoo Sacraments/CD.
Related
videos.
Related
books:
Rootwork and
Voodoo in Mental Health.
Ve-Ve Diagrammes
Rituels Du Voudou : Ritual Voodoo Diagrams.
Voodoo Charms and
Talismans.
Voodoo Fire In
Haiti.
Voodoo Handbook
of Cult Secrets.
Weird Science:
An Expert Explains Ghosts, Voodoo, the Ufo Conspiracy, and Other Paranormal Phenomena.
More
books.
Further
info:
The Ancestors in
Haitian Vodou.
The Mysteries of Voodoo.
Vodoun Culture.
Voodoo in New
Orleans.
West African Dahomean Vodoun.
More
info.
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