Vodou
Vodou,
religion of Haiti, also practiced in Cuba, Trinidad, Brazil,
and the southern United States, especially Louisiana.
Vodou
is commonly spelled voodoo, a spelling that, according to
many scholars today, carries derogatory and inaccurate associations.
Vodou
combines elements of Roman Catholicism and tribal religions
of western Africa, particularly Benin.
Vodou
cults worship a high god, Bon Dieu; ancestors or, more generally,
the dead; twins; and spirits called loa.
The
loa, which may vary from cult to cult, are African tribal
gods that are usually identified with Roman Catholic saints.
The snake god, for example, is identified with St. Patrick.
Other
elements of Roman Catholicism in Vodou include the use of
candles, bells, crosses, and prayers
and the practices of baptism and making the sign of the
cross.
Among
the African elements are dancing, drumming, and the worship
of ancestors and twins.
The
rituals of Vodou are often led by a priest, called a houngan,
or a priestess, called a mambo. During the ritual the worshipers
invoke the loa by drumming, dancing, singing, and feasting,
and the loa take possession of the dancers. Each dancer
then behaves in a manner characteristic of the possessing
spirit and while in an ecstatic trance performs cures and
gives advice.
"Vodou,"
Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001 http://encarta.msn.com
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