More than Just Voodoo Dolls

Voodoo is an Afro Caribbean religion that mixes African and Christian elements. Its deities include gods of African origins and Christian saints. The word Voodoo comes from a West African word for god or spirit.

The main characteristic of voodoo worship is the importance attached to the possession of the worshippers by the gods of the cult. There are thousands of Voodoo loa, gods and spirits, including not only gods of African origin, but personified natural forces and objects, such as Saint Wind and Saint Sun.

Haitian Vodouists revere a supreme God (Bondye) and a world of powerful spirits, called the Lwa, who LINK the human with the divine. The spirits are often expressed as a triad including:
- ancestors
- souls of twins
- 'mysteries' -- divine personifications of nature or of human emotions.

Vodouists serve the lwa and beseech their assistance for all kinds of problems. The hundreds of lwa are divided into nations and families, much like human beings. The largest nations are:

- Rada -- benign spirits from ancestral West Africa
- Petwo -- fiery spirits who represent Central African and Creole traditions

Haitian Creole -
Erzulie fanm Ti-Jan metres kay la (repeat)
Pa rele, se ou pote houngan nivo,
Pa rele,se ou pote wanga pi fo,
Erzulie fanm Ti-Jan metres kay la, paket mwen tout mare.

English -
Erzulie Ti-Jean's woman, mistress of the house (repeat),
Don't yell, it's you who carries the new houngan,
Don't yell, it's you who carries the stronger spells,
Erzulie Ti-Jean's woman, mistress of the house,
my paket (a magical object) is all tied up.

And again:

Haitian Creole -
Set kout kouto, set kout pwenyad,
Prete m dedin a, pou m vomi san mwen,
(repeat)
San mwen ape koule.

English -
Seven stabs of the knife, seven stabs of the dagger,
Lend me the basin, so I can vomit my blood,
(repeat)
My blood is pouring down.
(Meaning, although Erzulie Dantor has received seven stabs of the knife and
is vomiting blood, she is strong, she can not be so easily destroyed.)