Hollywood Voodoo vs. Haitian Vodou

We've all heard of "voodoo", it's the form of black magic that consists of poking a rag doll with pins in the hopes of tormenting the person they represent, right? While that is a form of voodoo, it is extremely different from "vodou". Voodoo is the dark magic that you see on TV, while Vodou is a religion practiced by Haitians.
Many Haitians describe Vodou as not just a religion, but rather "an experience that ties body and soul together". Vodouisants believe in the God Bondye, derived from the French words "bon" meaning good and "dieu" meaning God. They consider this God to be unreachable, so they pray through Loa which are lesser spirits. Staying on your best behavior can lead to your Loa protecting you, while acting in any way negative or ignoring your Loa can lead to sickness, death of relatives, and failure of crops.
Vodou temples are called "Peristils". Rituals begin by singing and praying in French, and then spirits who show up to the ceremony speak and act by possessing the bodies of those who are in the Peristil. The family of those who get possessed is thought to have good fortune afterwards  During rituals the sacrifice of animals such as pigs, chickens, and goats are sometimes made. Vodouisants often fill their homes with a variety of religious items including jars, rosaries, dolls, bottles, oils, and perfumes. 
So, "Vodou" is way less like "voodoo" than you would think. We may be used to the dark way that it's portrayed, but the truth is that Haitian Vodou is much more similar to basic Christianity than to any form of black magic or witchcraft.

 -KD

 Sources:
http://www.blogcitylights.com/2014/01/06/edwidge-danticat-voodoo-or-vodou/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haitian_Vodou#Beliefs
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Vodou

Comments

  1. UnknownJanuary 16, 2018 at 4:23 PM

    Thanks for shedding light on this. I admit to having been prey to the stereotypes.

    ReplyDelete

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