A BROAD ABROAD: VOODOO IN BENIN
Voodoo or Vodun as it is called in Benin, is a religion which the African slaves brought with them to the New World. The most famous practitioners are the Haitians who have adapted it to suit their new environment in the Caribbean.
Like most religions, Voodoo shares a belief in a supreme being with a pantheon of lesser divinities. The Voodoo religion has shrines, the sacrifice of animals, practitioners possessed by holy spirts and a regular Friday night “service”. The service we attended was in our guide’s home village. We felt a special welcome from the moment we arrived, with the children greeting us in song and dance. This was followed by the chief’s welcome ceremony and then taking our “ringside” seats to bear witness.
Feature image: Gul Isik
The Voodoo Service Begins
Music, in particular, drums, dancing and singing are an integral part of the service.
The drummers are seated at the back of an outdoor enclosure and congregants move to the center of the open space as the spirits move them. One person in the group emerges in a trance and takes center stage.
A particular divinity, readily recognizable to the faithful by their behavior and dress, has taken possession of these individual women. Those surrounding them are chanting and guiding them if they are in danger of harming themselves in their possessed state.
These guardians often assist them off center stage, where they usually exit to pay their respects to the shrine located in an adjacent above.
The Village Fetish
This fetish sits in the annex to the shrine where the worshippers gather. The shrine is a place where ancestors are venerated and offerings made to the spirits. This sacred artifact is a symbol of the village's spiritual heritage.
Dankoli Fetish | A Roadside Shrine
Typical of many religious services, alcohol also plays a role. When the true believers visit a Voodoo shrine, they often leave palm wine, make a wish, or even spit it at the shrine. If the believer's wish is granted, the worshipper will return to the shrine to thank the divinity and leave a small offering of palm wine or other items—a common practice in Voodoo rituals.
The Voodoo Service
Although we felt we had witnessed the climax of the service and shortly thereafter took our leave, the service was still in full swing.
The divinities that appeared were Sakpata, god of earth, wellness, and small pox. The god/goddess of the waters, the Crocodile, involved a man splitting on a chicken’s throat and then tying the dead chicken around the neck of women whom the crocodile goddess had possessed. An animal sacrifice is one of the key components of most Voodoo services.
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