Voodoo Essays - Vodou, Afro-American Religion,

Voodoo When I was first assigned this research paper on Voodoo, the first thing I thought of was Voodoo dolls, zombies, and evil magic. I think Voodoo is an evil religion which sacrifices humans as well as animals to demonic gods. I think it has been around for thousands of years, but is little left today. I believe that Voodoo is nothing but evil and the work of the devil. Voodoo originated in Western Africa by the Yoruba tribe. The Yoruba religion has about four hundred lesser gods called Orisa. This is not the actual Voodoo religion as we know it today, but plays an important role in it. Voodoo believes that the Grand Master or God rules over all things, but pays no attention to human affairs. This is why they believe in lower spirits or Loa to whom they worship and make sacrifices to(Belgum 14-28). When the slave trade started, people of the Yoruba tribe were captured and brought over as slaves. when the slaves arrived, they were baptized into the Catholic religion. The slaves continued to practice their native religion in secret which over time was mixed with Catholicism to create the Voodoo that we know today (Introduction 1). Over sixty-million people still continue to practice Voodoo worldwide (Vodun 1). The main center of Voodoo in the United States is New Orleans (3). About fifteen percent of New Orleans practices (Voodoo 1). The Voodoo religion contacts the spiritual worked Quite frequently. They believe that spirits help people in all that they do (Belgum 30-1). The Voodoo religion believes that true communion comes only through possession of the body by a Loa or spirit. Possession is very common during rituals for it is how the Loa give instructions to or help the people. They believe they get possessed for certain reasons. Such things as protection, cures from illness, or even to give warning to an individual or to the whole community of worshipers (Possession 1). When a person gets possessed, they show struggle moving and jumping around like crazy people. Then all of a sudden they go blank and motionless. They then come out of that trance a totally different person. While a person is possessed all bodily functions and gestures take the form of the Loa which possesses the body. While the Loa possesses the body it will often smoke, drink alcohol, and eat. These are all things that it is usually not capable of doing unless in a human body. They are also known to eat orwalk on fire and will show no marks on their body afterwards. The possessed person shows great strength and is known to toss things as well as people around. The possessed will have a totally different voice, facial expressions, etc.... After the possession, the person has no remembrance of what happened and therefore cannot be held responsible for what they did while being possessed (Possession 1-2). Voodoo rituals play an important role in the religion. Since practicers believe that human and Loa depend upon one another, they hold many rituals to make contact with the spirits through a very special process. Rituals can be held for many different reasons. Rituals can be held to celebrate a special event in the lives of a family or a community, in bad times for guidance from the Loa, for healing of an illness or a disability, births, weddings, and deaths (Vodun 2-3). There are two different types of voodoo rituals: Rada and Petro. Both are exactly the same except for the type of Loa they are addressing and for the purpose of the ritual (Basic 1). All rituals are held at a hounfour or a temple (Belgum 37). All rituals are began by the houngan asking Legba, the Loa of the gate, to open it. After the opening, water is sprinkled throughout important places in the hounfour (Basic 1-2), especially at the center where the poteau-mitin is located. It is a pole where the people communicate with the loas and God (Vodun 3). The drum or tambula (Mysteries 1) begins to beat. A veve, or pattern of flour is made on the floor in a design of one of the Loa (Vodun 3). The Houngan then calls the Loa by striking the veve or calling upon it with the use of magical words (Basic 4). Chanting begins along with prayers (2), one of the most common being the prayer of life and death which reads: "Earth, while I am yet alive, It is upon you that I put my