Voodoo And Caribbean Religion

Religion as defined by Merriam-Webster is, “the belief in a god or in a group of gods; an organized

The word voodoo means spirit in the West African. It is a religion practiced by much Haitian living in Haiti as well as the Diaspora. For the majority of Haitians, it is a symbol of solidarity of how they stood up and fought for their rights and freedom. For others, it is a painful source of reminder of how their ancestors were cruelly and unjustly treated by the Europeans.Even though the slaves were forced to convert to the Roman Catholic Christianity by missionaries, they continue to practice their faith. As a result, the voodoo is born out of the intermingling of beliefs and practices of African culture and the Catholicism. Nowadays the voodoo plays important role in different integrals politically and socially.In 1676, when the French colonized this Island, they possessed vast land, fields, pastures and garden. They needed cheap labor for the grueling work, especially in those sugars plantations. The slave system has already existed in the 16th century.

Voodoo is an old religion that finds its roots in west Africa. Remnants of its physical history can be found throughout the West African Coast where major slave trading markets were located. An Example of this are locations contain trees of forgetting in which slaves were “Zombified” by administering herbs to make them more compliant. Today these historical sites draw tourist learning about the horrors of the slave trade Voodoo beliefs originated from African animist religions that predate Islam and Christian influences and were not understood by the European slave owners who forbid its practice. It created a fear in the Europeans and is misunderstood even today. Its travel to the Caribbean, Haiti and America had a lasting impact and is still practiced.

For instance, the principles of Hoodoo are based almost solely on the betterment of one’s own life whereas the main goals of Voodoo are to improve one’s life but to also uphold withstanding connections within the realm of spirits and with other Voodooists (Haas, 2011). Not to mention in a sense of irony, it is Hoodoo culture that finds more use in voodoo dolls and doll magic to curse specific people or influence minds and hearts of individuals as opposed to Voodoo (Raven, n.d.). Furthermore, Voodooism is a mixture of monotheism and polytheism and requires official priests or priestesses to ordain rituals (Haas, 2011). Correspondingly, Voodoo is much akin to other religions in the sense that there are deviations of the practice; indeed, just as there are Protestants, Baptists, and Catholics when referring to the Christian faith, there are variants made in Voodoo, such as Haitian Voudon or Louisiana Voodoo (Voodoo, 2015). Hoodooism’s emphasis on individual power makes it a practice that is available to persons of any faith as it does not require a “formally designated minister” (Hoodoo (folk magic),

The Haitians that practice Voodoo associate with the Jews because when the Haitians were African slaves, the Europeans expressly considered both Jews and Africans to be devil worshippers.

Black magic, witchcraft, hocus- pocus, sorcery, conjuring. All words that mean voodoo, a black religious cult practiced in the Caribbean and the southern US, combining elements of Roman Catholic ritual with traditional African magical and religious rites, and characterized by sorcery and spirit possession. The question here is voodoo real or not? In fact voodoo is very real it might not be what you think it is all the bad magic that hurts people, but voodoo can be good also. There are many forms of voodoo and what people use it for. Voodoo is a religion and connected to christianity. Voodoo dolls are real and people do use them. People all around the world practice the magic of voodoo. Voodoo can heal people and problems that they have.

The culture of Haiti is a various mix of African and European elements due to the French colonization of Saint Dominguez. I chose to research this culture for two reason one reason being that I have a friend who is Haitian and I never understood why she did what she did, or even her mother. The second reason is because many people in Haiti is associated with voodoo, and that’s something I personally wouldn’t get to involved with due to my religious views. Throughout this essay we will see in detail the differences in culture from ours to theirs. We will learn about their primary language, religion, their different values and beliefs and last but not least their social practices. While reading on Haiti I started to appreciate their culture more due to the fact that know.

Though not a new religion, this religion has a lot of history and similar beliefs of other religions. The interpretation of death and the afterlife is interesting. Before, I touch on this its, important to know that community and the people is very important when it comes to Voodoo as a religion. In the event of a death the community gets really involved, if a loved one is dying, the family all tries to come together for prayer. People, who practice Voodoo, don’t believe that death is the end. When death occurs, they believe that certain rituals need to be done to help the soul. Loved ones of the deceased perform a “Rite of Reclamation” which is to call back the spirit. A priest or priestess, which are called houngan or mambo; serve as healers, diviners, psychologists, counselors and spiritual leaders; help during this time to bring the spirit back so they family can

First and foremost, voodoo is not just black magic, spells, and voodoo dolls that everyone associates with what has been portrayed in the movies and television shows. For example, the movie Serpent and the Rainbow, directed by Wes Craven

The Voodoo tradition that is alive and well in Louisiana today is brought to the United States care of the slave trade from the early 16th century. West African slaves in the south kept their traditions alive in the US, despite an overwhelming and coercive Roman Catholic influence. Late in the evening, and behind closed doors, slaves returned to their roots to practice the traditions that their owners disapproved of. Despite their desire to keep their African traditions alive, they were powerless to stop the forceful nature of the Roman Catholic traditions. After many years, a new ritual order arose that blended Roman Catholicism and ancestral West African traditions: Louisiana Voodoo.

Voodoo is a Haitian religion that contains different West African beliefs and rituals that are integrated with Catholic components (Nickell, 2002). When the slaves were brought to New Orleans, they brought their cultures, religious practices and the

Voodooism is a religion practiced in different parts of the world and is still widely used today. Voodoo has easily been related back to Christianity and Buddhism because specific people believe in Gods, practices and rituals and different ways to celebrate their religion. Voodoo is a culture that is frequently mislead for what it really is. The religion is not merely as awful and horrifying as people think it is today. A substantial amount of people believe Voodoo is a defective culture for crazy people because of movies and books they have seen and read. Voodoo has affected American culture as it is today. American culture has been affected because a substantial amount of people began to settle in America which meant different beliefs and

The Voodoo religion is one of the most, if not the most misconceived religion of our time. Often when Voodoo is mentioned, it is related to evil, black magic, devious sorcery, cannibalism, and harm. Although the Voodoo religion appears to the outsider as an illusion or falsehood, it has been an instrumental political force because it has helped the Haitians resist domination and form an identity of their own. Since the end of the 17th century, Haitian Voodoo has overcome every challenge it has been faced with and has endured. The religion is based on a polytheistic belief system and represents a significannot

Voodoo or also known as Voudon is an Afro-Caribbean religion which originated in Haiti. Voodoo followers can be found in other countries as well, including Jamaica, Brazil, Dominican Republic and the United States. Despite what the media exaggerates Voodoo has very little to do with voodoo dolls or zombies. Voudon believers worship many different spirits called Ioa. The Ioa can possess the bodies of their worshippers, and although this has been perceived as a negative or even scary experience; it is actually to be desired by the Voudon believers. There are both private and public ceremonies performed by Houngans and Mambos. These rituals are not free of charge and it is appropriate to bring a donation of sorts. Divination is the most commonly requested service. This ceremony is done

The Caribbean is a widely known tourist attraction, and in the center of the Caribbean is a small island named Haiti. Home to about ten million people, this island country serves as a exports a variety of goods from cocoa to clothing around the world but mainly to the United States. But behind their massive amounts of exports there is plenty of history behind how the country was formed and important events that led to its independence and creation of the Government. Haiti was unexpectedly found by Christopher Columbus. While trying to sail and find a faster route from Europe to India, he ran into the Caribbean Islands instead. Haiti’s first name was Hispaniola, named by the native Taino that lived there before French and Spanish settlers that landed there. During the 18th century Haiti was one of the wealthiest islands in the Caribbean due to its exportation of sugar. During that time there was also a large population of slaves that lived there. Nearly a half a million slaves lived in Haiti during that time. Due to the amount of slaves and the way they were treated by the European slave owners, a rebel group led by Toussaint l 'Ouverture ended slavery in Haiti and gained independence in 1804. The Western Imperialism in Haiti turned out to be a mishap and ended up dismantling and dividing the country.