Vodun 101
Basic Beliefs
Vodun is marked primarily by a belief in the loa, the gods that form the Vodun pantheon. Devotees of Vodun believe that all things serve the loa and so by definition are expressions and extensions of the deities. The loa ("mystery" in the Yoruba language) are very active in the world and often literally "possess" worshipers during ritual. Rituals are practiced primarily to make offerings to, or "feed," the loa and to entreat the loa for aid or fortune.
Vodun traditional belief also includes a chief God Olorun, who is remote and unknowable. He authorized a lesser God Obatala to create the earth and all life forms. A battle between the two Gods led to Obatala's temporary banishment. The loa are roughly the equivalent of patron saints in Christianity, in that they were once humans, who were raised to a higher level of existence by the Olorun. In addition, each person has a specific loa with specific powers who they call upon for aid.
There are hundreds of minor spirits. Those which originated from Dahomey are called Rada; those who were added later are often deceased leaders in the new world and are called Petro. Some of these are
Agwe: spirit of the sea
Aida Wedo: rainbow spirit
Ayza: protector
Baka: an evil spirit who takes the form of an animal
Baron Samedi: guardian of the grave
Dambala (or Damballah-wedo): serpent spirit
Erinle: spirit of the forests
Ezili (or Erzulie): female spirit of love
Mawu Lisa: spirit of creation
Ogou Balanjo: spirit of healing
Ogun (or Ogu Bodagris): spirit of war
Osun: spirit of healing streams
Sango (or Shango): spirit of storms
Yemanja: female spirit of waters
Zaka (or Oko): spirit of agriculture
Vodun Mysticism
Practitioners of Vodun come together in a community, called a société. The société centers around a hounfort, where rituals are performed, and a primary priest or priestess, called the houngan and mambo, respectively. Vodun sociétés are very close-knit and provide a central organizing structure to small communities in Haiti.
Unlike many other Caribbean, Yoruba-based religions, Vodun has a large, highly developed system of belief relating to the "dark" side of the loa and of human beings. Followers of Vodun believe that each person has a soul which is composed of two parts: a gros bon ange or "big guardian angel", and a ti bon ange or "little guardian angel". The latter leaves the body during sleep and when the person is possessed by a loa during a ritual. There is a concern that the ti bon ange can be damaged or captured by evil sorcery while it is free of the body, hence Black Magic.
The houngan and mambos confine their activities to "white" magic which is used to bring good fortune and healing. Black magic is practiced by priests called bokors and by secret societies that splinter off from the main Vodun communities. Rarely, a houngan will engage in such sorcery; a few alternate between white and dark magic.
Bokors, much like Christianity's witches, are rare individuals. If they are ever found out, they are removed from the village…usually with lethal force.
One belief unique to Vodun is that a dead person can be revived after having been buried. After resurrection, the zombie has no will of their own, but remains under the control of others. In reality, a zombie is a living person who has never died, but is under the influence of powerful drugs administered by an evil sorcerer. Although most Haitians believe in zombies, few have ever seen one. There are a few recorded instances of persons who have claimed to be zombies.
Sticking pins in "voodoo dolls" was once used as a method of cursing an individual by some followers of Vodun in New Orleans; this practice continues occasionally in South America. The practice became closely associated with Voodoo in the public mind because of horror movies.
Vodun, essentially, centers around a common African belief in the power and presence of the spirit world. Since Vodun represents an intermingling of several religious beliefs, it is not unusual that it reflects some basic beliefs found in several African cultures, mainly:
A belief in the human soul
A belief in unseen beings (in this case loa) which influence everyday life
A basic separation of good and evil
A belief in "karma", or the correlation between one's behavior and one's fortunes
Vodun Rituals
The purpose of rituals is to make contact with a specific loa spirit, to gain their favor by offering them animal sacrifices and gifts, to obtain help in the form of more abundant food, higher standard of living, and improved health. Human and loa depend upon each other; humans provide food and other materials; the loa provide health, protection from evil spirits and good fortune. Rituals are held to celebrate lucky events, to attempt to escape a run of bad fortune, to celebrate a seasonal day of celebration associated with a loa, for healing, at birth, marriage and death.
Vodun priests can be male (houngan or hungan), or female (mambo). A Vodun temple is called a hounfour (or humfort). At its centre is a poteau-mitan a pole where the God and spirits communicate with the people. An altar will be elaborately decorated with candles, pictures of Christian saints, symbolic items related to the loa, etc. Rituals consist of some of the following components:
*A feast before the main ceremony
*Creation of a veve, a pattern of flour or cornmeal on the floor which is unique to the loa for whom the ritual is to be conducted
*Shaking a rattle and beating drums which have been cleansed and purified
*Chanting
*Dancing by the houngan and/or mambo and the hounsis (students studying Vodun). The dancing will typically build in intensity until one of the dancers (usually a hounsis) becomes possessed by a Loa and falls. His or her ti bon ange has left their body and the spirit has taken control. The possessed dancer will behave as the loa and is treated with respect and ceremony by the others present.
*Animal sacrifice; this may be a goat, sheep, chicken, or dog. They are usually killed by slitting their throat; blood is collected in a vessel. The possessed dancer may drink some of the blood. The hunger of the loa is then believed to be satisfied. The animal is usually cooked and eaten.