Voodoo Facts

Approximately 90 percent of Haitians are Catholic and 10 % are Protestant (Jacobson, 2003). Within the Haitian-American community, however, Voodoo exists side by side with Christian faiths. Jacobson goes on to explain that “many Haitians see no contradiction in calling themselves Christians while engaging in Voodoo practices” (2003). In Haiti, Catholicism is highly ritualistic and religious practices combine the ancient rituals of African-based cultures with Western-based faith practices. Jacobson explains that “Voodoo cosmology is made up of a large numbers of supernatural spirits…these spirits are believed to have great influence on human beings and for that reason, they must be respected” (2003).

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.

In the biography, Mama Lola: A Vodou Priestess in Brooklyn, written by Karen McCarthy Brown introduces Mama Lola, or Alourdes, a Voudou priestess whom she met while working on an ethnographic survey (1). The book discusses the dynamics of Haitian Vodou and its importance in the lives of its practitioners. Voudouists serve the spirits and one particular group of spirits; the Ezili is a family of many spirits but three specific spirits that are examined. These three spirits: Lasyrenn, Ezili Dantó, and Ezili Freda act as parallels for Haitian women, like Mama Lola.

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),

Voodoo is a religion also known as Vodou or Voudon. In modern day society, the word ‘Voodoo’ usually brings others to the thought of dolls with pins stuck in them to cause pain on one’s enemies and the resurrection of the dead as zombies. In addition, black magic, animal sacrifices, and circles of worshipers dancing to the beat of a drum are just a few of the many other misconceptions about the practice of Voodoo. According to anthropologist Wade Davis, however, “Voodoo is not some kind of dark mystical force, it is simply a legitimate religion” (Handwerk, 2002). Though Voodoo began in West Africa, it is practiced in various forms worldwide. As the religion of Voodoo spread, it encountered a difficult transition. In spite of this hardship,

Voodoo religion is originally a West African religion which was brought to Haiti by slaves. Slaves where working for White plantation owners together suffering hardships and tribulations. Most of these Slaves where taken from tribes who had similar beliefs of Deities, morals and methods of worship (Dancing, drumming and rituals). They would use their religion as a way of mentally resisting against their white owners. The plantation owners did not like the rituals and dancing, forbid it and sealed the deal by having their slaves baptised and superimposed with catholic beliefs. Slaves began to adopt these beliefs and intertwined them with their own and worshipping their religion as well in a secretive way. This formed the true Voodoo religion that we see today that combines catholicism and african tribal worship. Voodoo comes from the word ‘Vodu’ witch came from the fon language of dahomey which was made from what we now know as Togo, Benin and Nigeria. It meant ‘Spirit’ which is definitely correlated with Voodoo as spirits are the core of the practice. The Voodoo practitioners allow Catholicism to expand their religion executing many of their Saints, Relics and Prayers in tribal rituals.

Haiti has a very interesting history of culture and religion. Currently, while Roman Catholicism is the official religion, Voodoo can be considered the national religion; about half of all Haitians practice it. This culture and religious history – and current practice – is essential in understanding one of the most important genres of music in Haiti; Rara.

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.

It has been almost 6 months now that my girlfriend and I came back from a trip to New Orleans. This is a town rich in history, amazing food, the locals were some of the friendliest people and the music of the city truly seemed to act as a heartbeat that gave the city life. However, something that truly caught my eye, were all the voodoo shops. One of their oldest cemeteries is home to the tomb of the “Voodoo Queen” Marie Laveau. Unfortunately when we went, they weren’t giving tours. When most in modern society most hear the word Voodoo; they probably think about what they’ve seen on movies… witch doctors, dolls that are used to curse Indiana Jones in the Temple of Doom or evil possession of people’s bodies through spirits. However, that really isn’t the case, for a religion that a lot of people really don’t know a lot about, the religion of Voodoo or Vodun. “The name was derived from the god Vodun of the West African Yoruba people who lived in 18th and 19th century Dahomey.” The African people were shipped as slaves to Haiti and other islands. Slaves practiced this religion but were also forced by the masters who owned them to practice Christianity. Which if you fast-forward to modern times, you will see that most adults in Haiti and some cities in the Southern States of North America not only still practice Voodoo but are also Roman Catholic.

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 second ritual medio asiento the person goes through consultation with a santero to discuss the persons past, present and future life. The third ritual is called receiving the warrior. In this ritual the person receives objects from their babaalawo that represent the warriors. The last ritual is asiento (ascending the throne). This is the most important and secretive ritual in santeria. This is when a person wears all white clothes. In this religion drums are only used by men and must be treated with respect. For example, dancers must never turn their backs towards the drums while dancing, it is considered disrespectful (Robinson, 2009).

Many Haitians also still practice their native religion of voudou (“voodoo” in the west). So, while it is clear that European religions have persisted since the time of colonization, it is interesting that Haitians have also maintained their native beliefs. Some estimates of Haitians that practice voudou are as high as 90 percent.

     The Voodoo religion is one of the most, if not the most misconceived religions 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 significant portion of Haiti’s 8.3 million people. The engaging religion plays an important role in both the family

I'm sure everyone has their own perception of voodoo inside their head. Most people think includes black magic, evil spirits, and causing harm to others. However, voodoo is actually a complex tradition of faiths and beliefs that combine into an overall world full of religion and magic. It is believed to have started sometime around 1724 in Africa, Haiti specifically. Today, there are still people in parts of the United States that believe in voodoo and practice it. Voodoo embraces the

Voodoo is a religion rich in heritage and founded in faith and community. The religion has been villainized by western culture and has been wrongly portrayed as malignant and dangerous. The religion is not founded in any of the (known) "black magics" or fear popularized by Hollywood films, but rather it is based on balance and tradition. The religion is not something that should be encountered with inhibition or fear induced from childhood horror stories, but embraced for its strength and history.