Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Is it voodoo or vodoo?

In Creole, it is neither.

The French word is vaudou.
The Haitian Creole is vodou.
Voodoo is English.

A Haitian voodoo priest is called a ougan.
The priestess is called a manbo.
They conduct ceremony is a peristil.
People who practice Haitian voodoo may be called all of these names: zobòp, chanpwèl, baka, lougawou
Voodoo worshippers worship many many different gods called lwa.
Each lwa is said to have dominance over a realm (water, crops, love, wealth, etc...)

A rara is group of people armed with the following musical instruments and more: bamboo sticks, congas, cow horns, whistles.  They take the streets, usually at night, singing and dancing.  Not all raras are voodoo worshippers.

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