Voodoo In Louisiana

The word Vodou, also known as Voodoo, means “spirit” or “deity” in the languages of West Africa. It is a religion that encompasses philosophy, medicine, and justice. The creator of both the universe and the spirits is understood to be the God of the Christian Bible; however, because the religion was established before people were able to read or write; therefore, there is no sacred text or central authority. Spanning centuries and continents the religion has morphed into hundreds of incarnations and practices. One such incarnation of the religion is Louisiana voodoo, also known as New Orleans Voodoo, a unique form of voodoo religion practiced-- as its name suggests--mainly in Louisiana and the southeastern United States. The historical …show more content…
For many enslaved Africans such spiritual traditions and practices provided a vital means of mental and emotional resistance to bitter hardship. Indeed, although their beliefs and rituals may not have freed them, Africans seemed to be successful at frightening the Louisiana plantation owners with this new religion they had brought with them. Plantation owners prohibited the slaves from practicing Voodoo, mostly out of fear of the unknown religion and the potential harm it could bring to New Orleans and its people. Those who were caught practicing Voodoo were often brutally penalized. The Catholic Church required Catholic planters to baptize and catechize their slaves. Slaves were property and people; while their souls belonged to God, their bodies belonged to their …show more content…
They occurred mostly at night in an attempt to keep it a secret from their slave owners. The point of a Voodoo ritual is to invoke a Loa, or spirit god, to come down, take possession of one of the followers at the ceremony that will help the people. There are many Loa, and all of them represent different aspects of life. Depending on which Loa the congregation is trying to communicate with, or what it is they are requesting from the Loa, the congregation will bring certain foods pertaining to what appeals to the Loa they are summoning at the time. At times an animal sacrifice may be necessary, the meat and blood of the animal is often cooked and consumed as part of the ceremony. Papa Legba is the Loa that is the gate-keeper between the humans and all of the Loa. A special prayer song must be sung to him in order to invoke him to open the gates and allow communication between the humans and the Loa of their choosing. During the ritual the worshipers invoke the Loa by drumming, dancing, singing, and feasting, and the Loa takes 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