is voodoo from africa

Is Voodoo African American's main religion?

Is voodoo a religion? Yes, voodoo is a complex religion that incorporates various beliefs from African, Catholic, and Native American belief systems. It has a hierarchy of different gods and spirits, a system of clergy, and other parts that normally make up a religious system.

Did Voodoo originate from Africa?

Voodoo originated in the African kingdoms of Fon and Kongo as many as 6,000 years ago. The word "voodoo" comes from the Fon language, in which it means "sacred," "spirit" or "deity." Other words used in Voodoo today also come from the Fon and Kongo languages. For example, a Voodoo priestess is often referred to as a mambo or manbo.

Was Voodoo brought to New Orleans by African slaves?

Voodoo came to New Orleans in the early 1700s through slaves brought from Africa’s western “slave coast.” Voodoo then infused with the city’s dominant religion, Catholicism, becoming a Voodoo-Catholicism hybrid sometimes referred to as New Orleans Voodoo.

What is the religion of Voodoo?

Voodoo is actually a fascinating religion, brought by enslaved West Africans to New Orleans in the 1700s and still practiced today with singing, dancing and drumming rituals calling on benevolent spirits. Central to it all is revered legendary Queen of ...

Where did voodoo originated in Africa?

Vodou originated in the ancient kingdom of Dahomey (present-day Nigeria, Benin, and Togo) and derives from the Fon word for "God" or "Spirit." Other accurate spellings include Vodun, Vodoun, but never voodoo, the sensationalist and derogatory Western creation.

What is the origin of voodoo?

Vodou developed among Afro-Haitian communities amid the Atlantic slave trade of the 16th to 19th centuries. Its structure arose from the blending of the traditional religions of those enslaved West and Central Africans, among them Yoruba, Fon, and Kongo, who had been brought to the island of Hispaniola.

Which African country has the most voodoo?

BeninVoodoo is completely normal in Benin. People across West Africa, especially Togo, Ghana and Nigeria hold similar beliefs but in Benin it is recognised as an official religion, followed by some 40% of the population. Voodoo Day is a public holiday and there is a national Voodoo museum.

What is the voodoo capital of the world?

Voodoo was born in the region between Ouidah and Abomey, Benin a few centuries ago. Today, the small town of Ouidah is the Voodoo capital of the world. Nearly 80% of Benin's population practices Voodoo, and the country's 'feticheurs' are very powerful.

Who is the voodoo god?

Legba represents a West African and Caribbean Voodoo god. This god has many different names depending on the region in which he is worshipped is most commonly known in Haiti as Papa Legba. Papa Legba serves as the guardian of the Poto Mitan--the center of power and support in the home.

What is the oldest religion?

The word Hindu is an exonym, and while Hinduism has been called the oldest religion in the world, many practitioners refer to their religion as Sanātana Dharma (Sanskrit: सनातन धर्म, lit.

What language is voodoo spoken in?

While certain Vodou prayers, songs, and invocations preserve fragments of West African languages, Haitian Creole is the primary language of Vodou. Creole is the first and only language of more than one half the population of Haiti.

What is the birthplace of voodoo?

Benin: the West African country famous for being the birthplace of voodoo.

Where is voodoo most practiced?

But Voodoo – as practiced in Haiti and by the black diaspora in the United States, South America and Africa – is a religion based on ancestral spirits and patron saints. Known as “Vodou” in Haiti, the religion has also served as a form of resistance against the French colonial empire.

What Is voodoo a mix of?

Voodoo is a true syncretism; a mix of the worship of the gods their West African ancestors observed from ancient times and the worship of the Catholic saints that the slaves were taught in the New World.

What are the top 3 religions in Haiti?

Protestant, Episcopalian, Methodist, Seventh-day Adventist (52%)Catholicism (35%)Irreligion (11%)Voodoo (2%)

Who is the current Voodoo Queen of New Orleans?

Marie LaveauVoodoo Queen of New OrleansVenerated inLouisiana Voodoo, Folk CatholicismMajor shrineInternational Shrine of Marie Laveau , New Orleans Healing Center circa 2015FeastJune 235 more rows

Where is voodoo most practiced?

Vodun is an ancient religion practiced by some 30 million people in the West African nations of Benin, Togo and Ghana. With its countless deities, animal sacrifice and spirit possession, voodoo — as it's known to the rest of the world — is one of the most misunderstood religions on the globe.

What are the origins of voodoo quizlet?

It is true that Voodoo did originate in Africa. Today it is practiced by millions throughout the world, in Africa, the Caribbean, Central, North and South America, in various forms, often with elements of catholicism mixed in.

How did voodoo get to Haiti?

In Haiti voodoo began as an underground activity. During the 1700s thousands of West African slaves were shipped to Haiti to work on French plantations. The slaves were baptized as Roman Catholics upon their arrival in the West Indies.

What does voodoo mean in slang?

any belief or approach to solving a problem that one doesn't agree with.

Where is voodoo popular?

First, there are millions of people believing in Voodoo all over Africa, Europe and America. Voodoo exists for centuries and is even recognized as an official religion in countries such as Benin, Haiti and Zimbabwe. That’s the first reason why Voodoo is special.

Where is Vodun from?

Vodun, Voodoo or Vudun ( spirit in the Fon and Ewess, pronounced [vodun] also spelled Vodon , Vodoun , Voudou, Voodoo etc.) is a traditional organised religion of coastal West Africa from Nigeria to Ghana.

Why do voodoo spells work?

It’s because Voodoo is very powerful and capable of solving very difficult situations and circumstances. I have many clients telling me they bought spells before mine with no results at all.

Is voodoo magic safe?

That’s the first reason why Voodoo is special. Then, Voodoo is known to be one of the two most powerful magic with black magic, but unlike the latter, Voodoo spells are totally harmless (except for very few occasions for which I don’t offer my services).

What does "vodun" mean in the West African language?

West African Vodun. This article is about the West African religion. For other uses, see Voodoo. Vodun (meaning spirit in the Fon, Gun and Ewe languages, pronounced [vodṹ] with a nasal high-tone u; also spelled Vodon, Vodoun, Vodou, Voudou, Voodoo, etc.) is practiced by the Aja, Ewe, and Fon peoples of Benin, Togo, Ghana, and Nigeria .

What is the vodun?

The vodun are the center of religious life. Perceived similarities with Roman Catholic doctrines such as the intercession of saints and angels allowed Vodun to appear compatible with Catholicism, and helped produce syncretic religions such as Haitian Vodou. Adherents also emphasize ancestor worship and hold that the spirits of the dead live side by side with the world of the living, each family of spirits having its own female priesthood, sometimes hereditary when it is from mother to blood daughter.

What does "vodun" mean?

Vodun (meaning spirit in the Fon, Gun and Ewe languages, pronounced [vodṹ] with a nasal high-tone u; also spelled Vodon, Vodoun, Vodou, Voudou, Voodoo, etc.) is a religion practiced by the Aja, Ewe, and Fon peoples of Benin, Togo, Ghana, and Nigeria .

Where is the Vodun altar?

Vodun altar with several fetishes in Abomey, Benin .

How many people follow Vodun?

About 17% of the population of Benin, some 1.6 million people, follow Vodun. (This does not count other traditional religions in Benin.) In addition, many of the 41.5% of the population that refer to themselves as "Christian" practice a syncretized religion, not dissimilar from Haitian Vodou or Brazilian Candomblé; indeed, many of them are descended from freed Brazilian slaves who settled on the coast near Ouidah.

Who is the moon goddess?

Mawu , the moon goddess, provides the cool of the night, peace, fertility, and rain. To give this in a summed aspect, a proverb says ‘When Lisa punishes Mawu forgives. Legba is often represented as a phallus or as a man with a prominent phallus.

Where did voodoo originate?

Voodoo is a religion that originates in Africa. In the Americas and the Caribbean, it is thought to be a combination of various African, Catholic and Native American traditions. It is practiced around the world but there is no accurate count of how many people are Voodooists. Voodoo has no scripture or world authority.

What is voodoo in Haiti?

It is community-centered and supports individual experience, empowerment and responsibility. Voodoo is different in different parts of the world, and varies from community to community. This is mostly about Voodoo in New Orleans and Haiti. Voodoo embraces and encompasses the entirety of human experience.

What do voodooists believe?

Those who practice Voodoo believe that there is a visible and an invisible world, and that these worlds are intertwined. Death is a transition to the invisible world, so our predecessors are still with us in spirit.

How does a voodooist develop a relationship with LWA?

In a similar fashion, a Voodooist develops a relationship with particular Lwa, seeks to understand and embody the principles they represent, connects spiritually in order to affect personal transformation and manifest this energy in the visible world to help the living.

Is voodoo a practice?

Voodoo isn’t a practice intended to hurt or control others. Most Voodooists have never seen a “Voodoo doll” (unless, like you, they saw it in a movie). Voodoo isn’t morbid or violent. Voodoo isn’t the same everywhere. Not everyone who practices Voodoo does it in exactly the same way or agrees on exactly the same things.

Is voodoo rooted in slavery?

Racism clouds our view of Voodoo. It is rooted in slavery and intricately connected to this hemisphere’s political and social evolution. Voodoo was first practiced in America and the Caribbean by slaves of African descent, whose culture was both feared and ridiculed. Slaves were not considered fully human.

Is voodoo portrayed in movies?

Voodoo probably isn't what you think it is. It might be easier to start with what Voodoo isn't: Voodoo isn't accurately portrayed in most movies, TV shows and books.

What is the Haitian voodoo?

Therefore Haitian voodoo developed, the Cuban variation of Voodoo Santeria as well as the Brazilian variations of Voodoo Candomble and Umbanda. In the historical consciousness of the Haitians Voodoo has an extraordinary meaning and as well played a role in Bois Caiman, and in the ensuing revolution.

How does voodoo work?

In our voodoo practice, we perform voodoo magic through prayers to God and to the beings of Light, so that we preclude all negative influences. Voodoo has been here for ages. It is strong, universal power, which needs to be used in a responsible way, to the welfare of all people. Then, it work properly.

What was the culture of the Yoruba?

In this area of today's Nigeria, at that time, dwelled a culture called the 'Nok'. Between 200 and 500 BC, The Yoruba.

Who was the Yoruba king?

Under the leadership of the Yoruba king Oduduwa, the people of Yoruba settled down in the city of Ile-Ife, which was considered a holy city by the natives. Descendant of this nation conquered large areas and laid the foundation of the Yoruba kingdom and spread voodoo through all of his conquered lands.

Is voodoo a religion?

This has made the voodoo into a kind of national religion of Haiti. Thus today Voodoo has a certain military symbolism, which is not found in other Afro -American religions. In 1996 Voodoo became an official national religion in Benin. April 4th 2003 opened yet another new chapter for the Voodoo religion.

Where does the word "vodun" come from?

The word 'vodun' — the Haitian word 'Voodoo' comes from the African Fon Language which is still spoken today in Benin. Vodun means "divinity" or "Idol".

Who worshipped Xango?

Initially Xango was worshipped by Yoruba tribe in Nigeria. Althoug he belongs among seven most powerful loa, he is not invoked in Haiti as often as other gods. He was born as one of the gods of earth and lived as a king of Oyo land on the earth with people.

What is voodoo rooted in?

Voodoo is rooted in the worship of nature and ancestors - and the belief that the living and the dead exist side by side - a dual world that can be accessed through various deities.

Why is voodoo successful?

Ms Romaine, who is also member of that diaspora, believes voodoo is successful because it provides a connection to a neglected identity.

What is the animal sacrifice in voodoo?

image caption. Animal sacrifices are an important part of voodoo ceremonies - an offering to appease the spirits. The first offering is a chicken - some of the blood is spread across the tiles of the temple and the rest is mixed into a communal bowl of millet - which the devotees eat as it is passed around.

What do people dance around in Ouidah?

In the voodoo heartland of Ouidah, the sound of drums fills the air, while men and women dressed mainly in white take turns to dance around a bowl of millet, a freshly slaughtered chicken and alcohol.

Where did Romaine learn voodoo?

Ms Romaine is of Haitian and US heritage. She first learned about voodoo from her aunt in Haiti - she travelled on a pilgrimage to retrace the "slave route" and her last stop was here in Benin where she has been living for more than a year.

Who is the High Priest of Voodoo?

The Regional High Priest of Voodoo Daagbo Hounon is presiding over the day's rituals.

Is voodoo threatening to the outsider?

This made some even more determined to keep it alive, according to reports. Some practices in voodoo can appear threatening to the outsider - the slaughtering of animals have in part earned the faith its unflattering image, some say. But Mr Amouzouvi says voodoo is not all that different to other faiths.

Where is voodoo practiced?

Where Voodooism is practiced. Voodooism is most popular and practiced in West Africa, Haiti, and Louisiana and in places that hold the remnants of West African slavery such as Cuba, Brazil, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic.

What are the two worlds of voodoo?

Voodooism’s two worlds. It believes in two interrelated worlds—the visible and the invisible. It is in death that we are brought to the invisible world and where ancestors serve as guides and protectors.

How did voodooism foreshadow the Haitian Revolution?

A Voodoo priest, Dutty Boukman, started the Haitian Revolution of 1791 after stating prophecies that certain slaves that he named would be leaders of a resistance movement that would free other slaves. This was seen as the catalyst of the subsequent slave revolt.

What is the voodoo doll?

Urban legend. The myth of the voodoo doll as a tool to bestow a curse is something that has been propagated by popular culture and Hollywood in particular. This doll pertains to a type of African folk magic called hoodoo. They have very little place in the religion and are not used by the majority of practitioners.

What was the first attempt to ban voodoo?

Attempt to ban Voodooism. In 1685, France banned any practicing of African religion in its colonies. Slaves had to be converted within eight days of their arrival with many baptisms taking place. The religion did not die, however; it simply merged with the newly adopted Catholicism to give the impression of conversion.

What is the Zangbeto?

The Zangbeto are traditional voodoo guardians of the night in Togo and Benin. They patrol the streets in outfits that resemble haystacks and were the primary law enforcement in these areas until the establishment of official law and order.

Is voodoo a spiritual practice?

Voodoo is a hugely misunderstood spiritual practice dating back thousands of years and uniting many from the African diaspora. Much more involved than just the misrepresented exercises involving dolls and witchcraft, here are some facts that those who do not practice this form of spirituality might not know.

What is the religion of Vodou?

It is a syncretic religion that combines Roman Catholicism and native African religion, particularly from the religion of the Dahomey region of West Africa ( the modern day nation of Benin).

What is the popular culture associated with Vodou?

Popular culture has strongly associated Vodou with devil worship, torture, cannibalism, and malevolent magical workings. This is largely the product of Hollywood coupled with historical misrepresentations and misunderstandings of the faith.

What are the basic beliefs of Vodou?

Basic Beliefs: Bondye, Lwa, and Vilokan. Vodou is a monotheistic religion. Followers of Vodou -- known as Vodouisants -- believe in a single, supreme godhead that can be equated with the Catholic God. This deity is known as Bondye, "the good god" .

What is the Vilokan?

Vilokan is the home of the lwa as well as the deceased. It is commonly described as a submerged and forested island. It is guarded by the lwa Legba, who must be appeased before practitioners can speak to any other Vilokan resident.

What are the three families of the Vodouisants?

These are more intimately involved in day-to-day life than Bondye, who is a remote figure. The lwa are divided into three families: Rada, Petro, and Ghede. The relationship between humans and lwa is a reciprocal one.

Why did Vodou begin?

Vodou began when African slaves brought their native traditions with them as they were forcefully transported to the new world. However, they were generally forbidden from practicing their religion. To get around these restrictions, the slaves started to equate their gods with Catholic saints.

Is Voodoo a monotheistic religion?

Vodou (or Voodoo) is a monotheistic religion that is often misunderstood. Common in Haiti and New Orleans, Vodou merges Catholic and African beliefs to form a unique set of rituals that include Voodoo dolls and symbolic drawings . However, as with any religion, followers of Vodou cannot be lumped into a single category.

Overview

Demographics

About 17% of the population of Benin, some 1.6 million people, follow Vodun. (This does not count other traditional religions in Benin.) In addition, many of the 41.5% of the population that refer to themselves as "Christian" practice a syncretized religion, not dissimilar from Haitian Vodou or Brazilian Candomblé; indeed, many of them are descended from freed Brazilian slaves who settled on the coast near Ouidah.

Theology and practice

West African Vodún cult and Christian Liturgy

See also

Further reading

External links