Today above 60 , 000, 000 people practice Vodun worldwide. Religious comparable to Vodun can be found in South America wherever they are called Umbanda, Quimbanda or Candomble. It is broadly practiced in Benin, wherever it is the standard religion.
Vodun (a. k. a. Vodoun, Voudou, Voodoo, Sevi Lwa) is commonly called Voodoo by the community.
The name is usually traceable for an African phrase for soul. Voduns origins go back to the West Photography equipment Yoruba people who lived in eighteenth and 19th century Dahomey. That country occupied parts of todays Togo, Benin and Nigeria. Slaves brought their very own religion with them if they were forcibly shipped to Haiti and other islands on the western part of the country Indies.
the actual religion, Vodun used in Benin, Haiti, Dominican Republic and various centers in the US largely where Haitian refuges include settled. an evil, fabricated religion, which in turn we will call Voodoo. It has been created for Hollywood films, complete with voodoo dolls, assault, bizarre rituals, etc . That exist in reality, except in the minds of most non-Voduns.
History of Vodun on the western part of the country Slaves were baptized in to the Roman Catholic Church after their arrival in Haiti and other Western world Indian destinations. However , there is little Christian infrastructure present during the early on 19th hundred years to maintain the faith. The end result was that the slaves mainly followed original native hope. This that they practiced in secret, while attending Mass regularly.
An inaccurate and amazing book (S. St . Ruben, Haiti and also the Black Republic) was created in 1884. It referred to Vodun as a profoundly evil religion, and included lurid descriptions of human sacrifice, cannibalism, and so forth
, some of which had been extracted from Vodun priests by pain. This book caught the thoughts of people away from West Indies, and was responsible for much of the misunderstanding and fear that may be present today. Hollywood discovered this a rich source for Voodoo screen performs. Horror videos began in the 1930s and continue today to misrepresent Vodun.
It is only considering that the late 1950s that accurate studies by scientists have been released. Other beliefs (Macumba, Candomble, Umbanda and Santeria) bear many similarities to Vodun. Vodun Values Vodun, like Christianity, is actually a religion of numerous traditions. Every single group uses a different religious path and worships a slightly different pantheon of state of mind, called Alabanza.
The term means secret in the Yoruba language. Yoruba traditional belief included a chief Goodness Olorun, who is remote and unknowable. He authorized a lesser God Obatala to create the earth and all existence forms. A battle involving the two Gods led to Obatalas temporary exile.
You will discover hundreds of small spirits. Those which originated from Dahomey are called Rada, those who were added after are often deceased leaders inside the new world and they are called Petro. Some of these happen to be Agwe: spirit of the ocean Aida Wedo: rainbow soul Ayza: protector Baka: a great evil spirit who takes the form of an animal Baron Samedi: guardian in the grave Dambala (or Damballah-wedo): serpent soul Erinle: soul of the forests Ezili (or Erzulie): feminine spirit of love Mawu Mack: spirit of creation Ogou Balanjo: nature of treatment Ogun (or Ogu Bodagris): spirit of war Osun: spirit of healing channels Sango (or Shango): heart of storms Yemanja: girl spirit of waters Zaka (or Oko): spirit of agriculture There are a number of points of similarity between Roman Catholicism and Vodun: both have confidence in a great being the Loa appear like Christian Saints, in that these were once people who have led excellent lives, and are also usually given a single responsibility or exceptional attribute. both believe in an afterlife have as the centerpoint of their ceremony a ritual sacrifice and usage of flesh and blood both have confidence in the existence of hidden evil mood or devils followers of Vodun assume that each person contains a met tet (master with the head) which usually corresponds to a Christians client saint.
Followers of Vodun believe that each person provides a soul which is composed of two parts: a gros bon ange or big guardian angel, and a ti bon ange or small guardian angel. The latter leaves the body while asleep and when anyone is possessed by a Alabanza during a ritual. There is a concern that the usted
