It has suffered from a bad press internationally but is an official religion in the West African country of Benin. 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.
These are the day's offering at the Temple of Pythons. They have an audience of about 60 people who have gathered from nearby towns for an annual cleansing ceremony. Inside the temple, where more than 50 snakes are slithering around a custom-made pit, local devotees make amends for sins of the past year.
In voodoo, the python is a symbol of strength - the devotees explain they are relying on Dagbe, the spirit whose temple this is, to give them the power to change. 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.
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. Its followers believe in striving to live in peace and to always do good - that bad intentions will not go unpunished, a similar concept to Christians striving for "righteousness" and not "sinning". But expert on African religions and traditions Dodji Amouzouvi, a professor of sociology and anthropology, says many people practice "dual religion".
It simply means that even those who follow other faiths always return to voodoo in some way," he tells me. To illustrate the closeness of the two faiths, there is a Basilica opposite the Temple of Pythons in the town square. But how did voodoo get exported to places such as New Orleans and Haiti? At the edge of the sea in Ouidah stands La Porte du Non-Retour "The Door of No Return" - a stone arch monument with carvings of men and women in chains walking in a procession towards a ship.
It was from this point that many thousands of African slaves were packed into ships and taken to the Americas - the only thing they took with them was voodoo, which they clung to as a reminder of home. They continued to practise it, at times being beaten if caught by the slave masters. 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. In Christianity it's taught that there is power in the blood of Jesus," he says.
Animals are seen as an important part of the voodoo practice. Our open community is dedicated to digging into the origins of our species on planet earth, and question wherever the discoveries might take us. We seek to retell the story of our beginnings. Skip to main content. Updated 9 January, - dhwty. Read Later Print. Public domain What are the Beliefs of Voodoo? Login or Register in order to comment. Meshkiangkasher wrote on 11 January, - Permalink. TomS wrote on 11 January, - Permalink.
So now Christianity bad, Voodoo good. What is wrong with you people? Duchovny wrote on 9 January, - Permalink. Mytchology wrote on 18 May, - Permalink. NickN wrote on 21 February, - Permalink. Related Articles on Ancient-Origins.
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Voodoo has no scripture or world authority. 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. It is practiced by people who are imperfect and may use religion for their own purposes. To understand what they believe, you have to first understand how a Voodooist sees the world. 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. They watch over and inspire us. In addition to our ancestors and loved ones we knew in life, there are the Lwa, which can also be understood as archetypes of human personalities such as Ogun the warrior and others that embody more specific concerns or localities such as Marie Laveau in New Orleans.
Each Lwa is actually a family of similar types i. Voodooists develop relationships with the Lwa to seek their counsel and help with concerns in the visible world.
In some ways this is not dissimilar to the secular practice of studying and honoring remarkable historic figures.
For example, someone who wishes to effect social change might find inspiration from Martin Luther King Jr. They may read their books, keep a poster of them on the wall, place significance on their day of birth or death and try to live by their example. 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.
Like Catholic saints or Hindu deity figures, the Lwa are familiar and accessible whereas the "great good God," although loving, is distant, and somewhat above individual human concerns. Voodoo has ordained clergy, Hougan priests and Manbo priestesses that make a commitment to a spiritual path and can offer guidance when needed, but it is believed that each person is responsible for their own actions and capable of self-actualization.
Voodooists especially places value on the strength of community for support and enrichment. Just as there are differences within other faiths, there is great variation within Voodoo beliefs and practices.
In places and times where conditions are very desperate, Voodoo is often focused on survival. In my New Orleans community, many Voodooists feel that part of religion is service to their community, so there is an emphasis on healing and social activism. We also have many artists and musicians in our community, further reflecting New Orleans' unique cultural spirit.
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