LOA, GUEDE, VOODOO AND MAGIC

Loa who are adored in Haiti and in the Caribbean Islands are voodoo gods. Voodoo generally carries the image of mysterious death, zombies with secret and bloody ceremonies. And so, voodoo is too often assimilated by Europeans to the black magic, which is not true.

Voodoo faith is mainly filled with mystical values and symbolism. It is based on prayers, rituals, songs and dances which are inducing ecstasy, that is to say a state which allows people to go into contact with the holy divine which are the loa.

Loa gods are a mixt between the former Greek/Roman gods and some christian saints. They are the sum of African beliefs and rites associated to catholic practices.

Thus, Legba the most important of these gods, seems at the same time to the greek god Hermes or the roman god Jupiter and the christian saint Pierre. There is also: Agué-Taroyo, god of the Sea and protector of the sailors, our old greek Poseidon or roman Neptune. Near to these beneficial gods, exist also cruel loa who can be compared to the devils of the christians. Damballah-Wedo is the god snake who gives richness. Ezili-freda-Dahomey is the sensual goddess, liking luxury and pleasure: she is the former greek goddess Aphrodite for the Greeks and Venus for the Romans.

There are also "guédé" which are the gods of death. The most famous are: Baron-Samedi (Baron-Saturday), Baron-Cimetière (Baron-Cemetery), Baron la Croix (Baron-the-Cross) and Brigitte. Baron-Samedi is represented like a mortician with an opera hat on the top of the cranium.

During the voodoo rituals, a circle is created with eight wood trunks symbolizing eight rays and a stake is fired inside it in homage to the divinity.

The hunga who is the priest pulverizes the kimangan a plant mixture and blesses a large mortar filled with plants which is placed on a stool and covered with a white fabric.

In front of the drums, the hunga murmurs a series of Our Father, Ave, Creed and Confiteor and the congregation answers. After the evocation to God follow the evocations of loa. The drums enter in music. Two men move towards the mortar and start to crush meanwhile the faithlull starts to dance and sing.

After the mortar is emptied, the priest pours a liquor inside that he ignites with a firebrand that drink the two men who previously crushed the plants. The priest distributes powder pinchs to the faithfull who go on dancing and singing.

The cycle of these ceremonies ends for the Christmas Eve.

These rituals are popular and collective ceremonies which bring people closer.
Their purpose is to collect "chance" for the faithfull and preserve them from bad fates.
These rituals are known as "magic".