Who are the lwa in Voodoo?
Exactly, the Lwa, some also call them Loa are the Spirits. They were given to us to act as intermediaries between humans and Bondye. Bondye is the “God” in Voodoo. That’s why we don’t worship the Lwa as god’s, we serve them so that in turn they serve us. You must serve them very well, that’s why they serve you and your clients well in return.
Who are the lwa?
Lwa (loas) are spiritual beings of the Haitian religion vodou (voodoo), regarded as "different aspects of one cosmic Principle" (Desmangles, p. 98). Lwa are thought to be present in nature (trees, rivers, mountains, etc.). They are connected to human activities (healing, fighting, farming) and aspects of nature (thunder, rain, storm).
What are the lwa in Haitian Vodou?
In Haitian Vodou, the lwa serve as intermediaries between humanity and Bondyé, a transcendent creator divinity. Vodouists believe that over a thousand lwa exist, the names of at least 232 of which are recorded. Each lwa has its own personality and is associated with specific colors and objects.
What does Legba mean in Voodoo?
Perhaps the most famous, and certainly one of the most important lwa in the voodoo pantheon is Legba (or Papa Legba). Nicknamed “the Trickster”, he is thought to be a mischievous but powerful lwa. Legba represents change; he can be called upon to help those suffering from stagnancy or a difficult decision.
What do lwa mean?
Lost Wages Assistance (LWA) Program.
Who is the goddess of Voodoo?
Maîtresse Mambo Erzulie Fréda DahomeyErzulie FredaLoa of Love and BeautyVenerated inHaitian Vodou, Louisiana Voodoo, Folk CatholicismAttributesPale bejeweled woman, pink dresses, three wedding rings, heart-shaped medals, heart pierced by sword1 more row
How do you serve lwa?
Before you honor any other lwa, you must honor Legba. This doesn't have to be fancy, elaborate or drawn-out. All you need do is sprinkle a few drops of cane syrup or some other drink of his choice on the ground, give him a cup of coffee or some roasted corn, or even say "Legba, please open the door for me.
What is ginen in Voodoo?
Ginen (also referred to as Guinée or La Guinée) is that aspect of the Vodu religion that establishes a direct link between Haitian Vodu devotees and their African ancestral land. During the days of slavery, the name Ginen/Guinée became a generic term used to refer to West Africa as a whole.
How many lwa are there in voodoo?
In Haitian Vodou, the lwa serve as intermediaries between humanity and Bondyé, a transcendent creator divinity. Vodouists believe that over a thousand lwa exist, the names of at least 232 of which are recorded.
Who is the current voodoo queen?
Marie LaveauVoodoo Queen of New OrleansMajor shrineInternational Shrine of Marie Laveau , New Orleans Healing Center circa 2015FeastJune 23AttributesWater, Roosters5 more rows
Who created LWA?
Little Witch Academia (Japanese: リトルウィッチアカデミア, Hepburn: Ritoru Witchi Akademia) is a Japanese anime franchise created by Yoh Yoshinari and produced by Trigger.
Is voodoo still practiced in Louisiana?
Modern Day Voodoo in New Orleans Today, Voodoo remains in practice to serve others and influence life events in connection with ancestors and spirits. Rituals are usually held privately, but there are various places that will give you a reading or assist in a ritual.
What are the main beliefs of Voodoo?
Teaching the existence of single supreme God, Vodou has been described as monotheistic. Believed to have created the universe, this entity is called Bondye or Bonié, a term deriving from the French Bon Dieu ("Good God"). Another term used is the Gran Mèt, which derives from Freemasonry.
What is a voodoo priest called?
oungan, also spelled houngan, in Vodou, a male priest who serves as a leader of rituals and ceremonies. A woman of the same position is referred to as a manbo. It is believed that oungans obtain their positions through dreamlike encounters with a lwa (spirit).
Where is voodoo most practiced?
Voodoo has been a powerful force in the lives of innumerable people of African descent, both positively and negatively. One of its largest groups of adherents resides in Haiti, where Voodoo is practiced by close to 5 million people, which accounts for nearly half of the population.
What's 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 are the main beliefs of Voodoo?
The core belief of New Orleans Voodoo is that one God does not interfere in daily lives, but that spirits do. Connection with these spirits can be obtained through various rituals such as dance, music, chanting, and snakes.
Is damballa real?
Damballa, also spelled Damballah, Dambala, Dambalah, among other variations (Haitian Creole: Danbala), is one of the most important of all loa, spirits in Haitian Voodoo, Louisiana Voodoo and other African diaspora religious traditions such as Obeah....DamballaVenerated inHaitian Vodou, Folk Catholicism1 more row
What is a voodoo priestess?
Also known as a “mambo,” “manman” or mam” in the vodoun religion, this is a woman who summons vodoun gods in order to divine the future or heal.
Where did Voodoo come from?
The Birth of Voodoo It is a folk religion originating from Haiti that came into being when Africans were captured and forced into slavery, causing their cultures and religious beliefs to collide with Catholicism.
Etymology
Modern linguists trace the etymology of lwa to a family of Yoruba language words which include olúwa (god) and babalawo (diviner or priest). The term lwa is phonetically identical to both a French term for law, loi, and a Haitian Creole term for law, lwa.
Theology
Vodou teaches that there are over a thousand lwa. They are regarded as the intermediaries of Bondyé, the supreme creator deity in Vodou. Desmangles argued that by learning about the various lwas, practitioners come to understand the different facets of Bondyé.
Nanchon
A cross in the cemetery at Port-au-Prince, Haiti; this symbolizes the lwa Baron Samedi.
Ritual
A large sequined Vodou "drapo" or flag by the artist George Valris, depicting the veve of the lwa Loko Atison.
History
During the closing decades of the 20th century, attempts were made to revive Louisiana Voodoo, often by individuals drawing heavily on Haitian Vodou and Cuban Santería in doing so.
List
Vodouisants will sometimes comment that there are over a thousand lwas, most of whom are not known to humans. Of these, the names of at least 232 have been recorded. The large number of lwas found in Vodou contrasts with the Cuban religion of Santería, where only 15 orichas (spirits) have gained prominence among its followers.
ETYMOLOGY AND CATEGORIZATION
The term lwa is translated as "spirits," "deities," or "gods," but no term corresponds to the whole notion. They are also called in Kreyol mistè (mysterie), espri (spirit), anj (angel) or, rarely, dye (god).
PANTHEON OF LWA
Each lwa has a specific field of responsibility and a variety of traits (speech pattern, body movements, character, preferences in food and clothes), some ambivalent.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Barnes, Sandra T., ed. Africa's Ogun: Old World and New. 2nd exp. ed. Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1997.
Rada Loa
These Lwa include the more beneficial and benevolent of the spirits, and are deeply tied to the ancient roots in Africa. They are traditionally associated with the color white, in addition to those colors found to be in association with individual Lwa. A few members are listed below.
Petro Loa
These Lwa are considered to be more full of fire, warlike and aggressive, and have deep association with the New World and Haiti. Among their number Ezili has an important role. They have appeared to a congregation during French rule, and charging them to fight for their freedom. Their primary color is red.
Guardian Angel
He, like Papa Legba, is a master of the crossroads. He often appears as a red skinned youth, and favors rum infused with gunpowder. He has the power to grant or deny access to all spirits, and is often seen as allowing the crossing of malignant beings.
The Birth of Voodoo
Contrary to popular opinion, Voodoo (or voudou) is not a form of witchcraft or demonic worship. It is a folk religion originating from Haiti that came into being when Africans were captured and forced into slavery, causing their cultures and religious beliefs to collide with Catholicism.
Christian Elements in Voodoo
There are clearly recognizable Christian elements of Voodoo. Those unfamiliar with the practice might be surprised to learn that it has a lot in common with Catholicism, including prayers such as the Lord’s Prayer and Hail Mary, and rituals such as baptism, making the sign of the cross, and the use of candles, crosses, and images of saints.
The Evolution of Voodoo in the United States
Due to its unique history, Louisiana had a very different ethnic and religious makeup to the rest of the United States by the time of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. At this time, the other states already had a unique American identity, having declared independence from Britain around twenty-seven years prior.
Voodoo in the American Imagination
Emphasizing these supposed ties between Voodoo and slave rebellions was one of the most important social functions of post-Civil War public Voodoo narratives.
Voodoo Today
From the 1960s up until the present day, Voodoo in the United States has been used as a source of entertainment and a tourist attraction quintessential to New Orleans.
Voodoo: Conclusion
Modern Voodoo is still recovering its reputation in the wake of a smear campaign that has lasted for over two centuries (and still has not entirely let up). This legacy of Voodoo’s complex history is very much recognizable today.
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By Olivia Barrett BA & MA History Olivia holds a BA from University College London and an MA in History from the University of Manchester, England. She specializes in histories of gender, sexuality and religion, with a particular interest in how the beliefs, folklore and mythologies of the past manifest in the present.
Dispelling the Myths About Vodou
Catherine Beyer is a practicing Wiccan who has taught religion in at Lakeland College in Wisconsin as well as humanities and Western culture at the University of Wisconsin, Green Bay.
Understanding Voodoo
Vodou is also known as Vodoun, Voodoo, and by several other variants. 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).
Misconceptions About Voodoo
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.
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" .
Rituals and Practices
There is no standardized dogma within Vodou. Two temples within the same city might teach different mythologies and appeal to the lwa in different ways.
Overview
Lwa (pronounced lwah ), also called loa or loi, are spirits in the African diasporic religion of Haitian Vodou. They have also been incorporated into some revivalist forms of Louisiana Voodoo. Many of the lwa derive their identities in part from deities venerated in the traditional religions of West Africa, especially those of the Fon and Yoruba.
Etymology
Modern linguists trace the etymology of lwa to a family of Yoruba language words which include olúwa (god) and babalawo (diviner or priest). The alternate spelling of the word, loa, means "to bewitch" in the Setswana language of Botswana. The term lwa is phonetically identical to both a French term for law, loi, and a Haitian Creole term for law, lwa. The early 20th-century writer Jean Price-Mars pondered if the term lwa, used in reference to Vodou spirits, emerged from their popu…
Theology
Vodou teaches that there are over a thousand lwa. They are regarded as the intermediaries of Bondyé, the supreme creator deity in Vodou. Desmangles argued that by learning about the various lwas, practitioners come to understand the different facets of Bondyé. Much as Vodouists often identify Bondyé with the Christian God, the lwa are sometimes equated with the angels of …
Nanchon
In Haitian Vodou, the lwa are divided into nanchon or "nations". This classificatory system derives from the way in which enslaved West Africans were divided into "nations" upon their arrival in Haiti, usually based on their African port of departure rather than their ethno-cultural identity. The nanchons are nevertheless not groupings based in the geographical origins of specific lwas. The term fanmi (family) is sometimes used synonymously with "nation" or alternatively as a sub-divis…
Ritual
Feeding the lwa is of great importance in Vodou, with rites often termed mangers-lwa ("feeding the lwa"). Offering food and drink to the lwa is the most common ritual within the religion, conducted both communally and in the home. An oungan (priest) or manbo (priestess) will also organize an annual feast for their congregation in which animal sacrifices to various lwa will be made. The …
History
During the closing decades of the 20th century, attempts were made to revive Louisiana Voodoo, often by individuals drawing heavily on Haitian Vodou and Cuban Santería in doing so. Among those drawing on both Vodou lwa and Santería oricha to create a new Voodoo was the African American Miriam Chamani, who established the Voodoo Spiritual Temple in the French Quarter of New Orleans in 1990. Another initiate of Haitian Vodou, the Ukrainian-Jewish American Sallie An…
List
Vodouisants will sometimes comment that there are over a thousand lwas, most of whom are not known to humans. Of these, the names of at least 232 have been recorded. The large number of lwas found in Vodou contrasts with the Cuban religion of Santería, where only 15 orichas (spirits) have gained prominence among its followers.
• Adjassou-Linguetor
See also
• Haitian mythology
• Kami
• Tuatha Dé Danann