| Voodoo |
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| This section of my site is about Vodou. There are many myths surrounding this practice. Vodou is also known as Voodoo and Sevi Lwa among other names. Vodou is the French spelling while Voodoo is the American. Vodou is found throughout the world however seems to be fairly popular in the New Orleans area of the United States and in South America. Vodou is a huge part of the culture of Haiti and very popular throughtout the West Indies. The word Vodou is traceable back to an African word for "spirit." |
| History The practice of Vodou originated in the West Indies durning the colonial times. When the settlers brought Africans over to be made slaves, the slaves brought their religion with them. Upon their arrival at the French colony of Haiti, the slaves were baptised into the Roman Catholic religion. During the 19th century there was little religious infrastructure to maintain the faith among slaves and Vodun was practiced in secret. The practice of Vodun has been repressed until recently. There are many different paths withing Vodou with their own traditions and spirit patheons. Spirit patheons are called Loa, or Lwa. Beliefs There are many different Vodou traditions, such as Dahomean, Makaya, and Kongo just to name a few. The belifes these many traditions have in common are that of one god, Gran Met, which means "Great Master" and Bon Dieu which is French for "Good God". There are lesser gods called the Lwa who can be directly communitcated with by means of spiritual possession. Possession is a very desirable thing in Vodou. It is also believed that the soul is made of two parts a gros bon angel, "big gaurdian angel", and a ti bon angle "little gaurdian angel. The ti bon angle is said to leave the body during sleep and ritual possession. Many practicioners of Vodou are members of the Roman Catholic Church. Catholicism and Vodou do have some similar belifes. One of these belifes is that in one supreme being. Another common beliefe is the centerpice of ceremonies is ritual sacrfice and the comsumption of blood and flesh. There is also a belife that each person has a "met tet" which is compartibale to a Catholic patron saint and the beliefe in evil spirits or deamons. The Lwa are comparable to the Catholic saints in that they were once people who lead exceptional lives and given a single responsiblity or special attribute after death. Rituals The purpose of rituals in Vodou is to make contact with the spirits, gain favour with the spirits. Animal sacrifices and gifts to the Lwa are common place. Male priests in Vodou are known as Houngan or Hungan, while femal priestesses are Mambo. The temples, or meeting grounds, are called Hounfour or Humfort and the pole where the spirit communication takes place is called the Poteau-Mitan and the center peice of the Hounfour. The alter is decorated with candles, pictures of Christain saints, and other symbolical items related to the Lwa. Rituals are geneally conducted in a format. The usual order of events in a Vodou ceremony is a great feast before the ceremony, the creation of "veve" (a pattern of flour and/or cornmeal on the floot unique to the particular Lwa hoped to connect with), shaking, beating of drums and rattles, chanting, and finally the dancing of hougans and hounsis (students) that continues until a possession is achived. Next an animal sacrfice will be made, generally of a goat, sheep, dog, or chicken, which is killed in a human way by slitting the throat and the blood may be collected and drank by the possessed. The sacrifice is to satisfy the hunger of the Lwa and afterwards the animals is cooked and eaten. Race In Vodou as in other Afro-Caribbean religions there are no ethnic, national, or racial barriers. Everyone may participate in this practice, all that is required is a proper intiation. Although many of the participants are black Haitians there are also many Haitian-Syrian, Haitian-Dominican, and mulatto Haitians who participate. There are also hundreds of forgien participants and clergy found in France, Canada, the United States, and Latin America. Despite that in true Vodou there are no racial barriers there are a few Hougans and Mambos whom will never give their "secrets" of Vodou to non-black, non-Haitians. This means they will not give correct information , a real initiation, and a genuine ordination to a non-black Haitian. While they will not give correct information they will however charge great amounts of money to preform fake, eleborate ceremonies for such people. These Hougans and Mambos are looked down upon by the legitiamte participants in Vodou. There are many races seen in the Lwa of Vodou. Mama Brigette, the Mistress of Cemeteries, is a white English woman, possiably a variation of the Celtic goddess Brigid. Erzulie Freda, represented by the Master Dolorossa sourrounded by light and jewels and gold, is a white woman. White or light skinned woman in Haiti are thought to be manifestations of Freda and excellent canidates for possession by her. Met Agwe (Creole), or Maitre Agwe is the husband of La Sirene and lwa of the sea, is mulatto with green eyes. Some Simbi lwa assoicated with fresh water are believed to have long, straight hair. There are also Muslim lwo like the lwa Senego. Senego greets people with the phrase "Salaam aleikum." There are also Roman Catholic lwa, such as Sainte Therese and Saint Jean Baptiste (Saint John the Baptist). Race is not an issue in Voduo as long as you respect the ancestors. Everywhere in the world there are crossroads, forrests, ancestors, and cemetraies; everywhere in the world Vodou is possiable practice. Homosexuality There are no sexual barriers in Vodou just as there are no racial barriers. Homosexuals can be praticipants and clergy in Vodou without any problems. Homosexual men are under the partonage of Erzulie Freda, the lwa of love and luxury. Freda is the most coquettish and feminine lwa. The patron lwa of lesbians is Erzulie Dantor. Dantor is a strong and fierce female image, however she is heterosexual because she has a child and is the wife of two important lwa. However many people think of Dantor as a lesbian herself. Sex Sex in Vodou is both reveired and taboo. Hairian and Vodou culture encourages fertility and tolerates male polygamy. However, sex is forbidden in ritual context. Some ceremonies requires sexual abstinence before and after the ceremony. For example, initiates are required to go through 41 days of abstinece after their intiation. Some traditions require absitnence on nights sacred to personal lwa also. The most sexually explicit behavour is used when honouring the lwa of the dead, Baron, Maman Brigitte, and Lwa Gede (their children) in their signature dance "the banda." The banda is a very accurate mime of sexual intercourse with wildly exaggerated gestures and a staccato rythum. The banda is danced alone, and no one gets aroused unless they are possessed by the Lwa. When dancing, you are dancing to serve the Lwa not other purposes. It is a huge taboo for men to be errect while dancing, even dancing the banda. All ceremonies are for the service of the Lwa. Although big dances provide opportunities to meet other people with the same interests they should not be used as dating halls, they are to serve the Lwa. Despite these views of sex in Vodou, much of the magic done is related to sex. Many magickal working are dedicated to helping people attract lovers and ensure fidelity of spouses. Because of the huge emphasis placed on fertility, childless women cause much concern in Vodou. Also, in an infertile couple, it is often seen as the woman having a problem and not the man, all magickal intervention is direct at the woman instead of the man. Such interventions are under Baron. The women wishing to become pregnate are escorted to the Cross of Baron in the cemetary and further ceremonies are conducted there. In Vodou there is no objection to premarital sex. Most Hougan and Mombos are not able to conduct leagally binding marriage ceremonies so most people marry within the Roman Catholic Chruch or obtain a civil ceremony. However Mambos and Houguans do conduct marriage ceremonies to Lwa. There are two reasons for marrying a Lwa, one for personal affinitity to the lwa, the other being because the lwa requests the marriage Money Services in Vodou cost money. Mambos and Hougans are not paid salaries, but they are professionals. Hougans and Mambos have spent a lot of time studying and paying for initiations and ordinations. For some, that is their full time job, for others they have a nine to five job or perform other activities to earn the money needed to live. In Vodou there is nothing wrong with charging for services, the more skilled the practicner, the higher the price. Paid services are wanga (spells for non-religous purposes), healing ceremonies for people who have been made ill by magickal means, initation and ordination ceremonies, ceremonies for personal lwa, and divination. The money is spent on furnishing the peristyles, buy sacrificial anicmals, pay drummers, and care of material needs of society memebers in times of extreme need or illness. Admission is not charged for attending ceremonies, in fact most ceremonies are open to everyone. In cases of requested magickal ceremonies, the person pays for the wananga, but not the right to attend the ceremony. Prices vary, sometimes depending on what the Mambo or Hougan feels the client can pay. The most expensive ceremonies preformed by Mambo and Hougan are oridinations and intiations. The prices of wanga depend on how complicated the particular wanga is. Mambos and Hougans do not get to keep all of the money they make off their services. They have a responsibility to their "family." The family is the "brothers and sisters" or other initates of the same "parent" plus any "children" or those they have initated. The Mambos and Hougans should not live much better than their family. |