At the origin of Vodoun
Vodoun is the traditional religion of the Adja-fon and Yoruba communities. The latter, especially in Nigeria, uses the term orisha, but the cult itself has only slight differences. It appeared at the end of the 16th century on the banks of the Mono River, which separates Togo from Benin.
Today, Vodoun has nearly 60 million followers worldwide. Originally, it developed during the creation and development of the kingdom of Danxomè, which would later become Benin. Although it was essentially born between Abomey, Ouidah and Porto-Novo, it was then exported by slaves during the slave trade in South and Central America (notably in the Caribbean, Brazil and Haiti).
The origin of the term voodoo comes from vodoun which is the literal translation in fon of an idea of sharing with the deities. The final "n", almost inaudible, was then phonetically removed by the colonists who thus evoked voodoo in French. But in Benin, it is obviously the term in Fon that is used.
As for its definition, voodoo designates both the supernatural world that gathers invisible forces and gods, but also and above all the ways to get in touch with these divine forces. In practice, to connect these two worlds, the voodoo priest calls upon a messenger who opens the doors of the two worlds: Papa Legba. Naturally, the rituals differ greatly from one ethnic group to another. But they retain a basic principle, which is to put the faithful into a trance during the ceremony.
The pantheon of deities
There are more than 150 voodoo deities whose spirits manifest themselves mostly in inanimate objects of nature, such as stones or trees. They are called the iwa, or even the Mysteries or the Invisibles. They serve as intermediaries between the creative deity Mawu and humans. During worship, they are prayed to, honored and praised according to their preference and attributes through offerings, dances and sacred rhythms, among other services. One of the main iwa is Erzulie, goddess of beauty and love. Embodying the feminine figure, she wishes for offerings of toiletries, perfumes, jewelry and delicacies.
We can also mention Ogun (Gu or Gun, according to different spellings), the god of war and the patron of blacksmiths. His mission on earth is to make it a pleasant place for humans to live, but this task is far from complete. He is a powerful and fearsome warrior who possesses the power of iron to cut and kill. Let's also talk about Mami Wata, the goddess of water. She is described as a black woman of great beauty, with black and frizzy hair. She is sometimes portrayed as a half-woman, half-fish mermaid. Beware of her dazzling beauty because according to beliefs, the spirit abducts people while they are swimming or on boats. She takes them to her watery kingdom. If by chance the person returns to the world of the living, it is usually in dry clothes, with a renewed spiritual intelligence. Let us not forget the iwa Sakpata, god of the earth who offers abundant harvests, and Hebiosso, vodun of thunder who strikes down villains. Papa Legba plays the role of intermediary and messenger of the gods. Without him, one cannot enter into contact with the iwa. His invocation allows to open the doors between the visible and invisible world. He is the personification of wisdom and humility. The offerings made to him are more modest than those of the other iwa. All these deities are mainly the reflection of natural forces, deified ancestors or spiritual powers. They help to maintain a certain harmony between people, their ethnic groups or social clans and nature, where they take what they need to live serenely.
Mawu, the creative deity
At the top of the voodoo deities is Mawu Lisa (Olodumare in Yoruba), the supreme god who rules over the other gods. His personality is however ill-defined and is sometimes considered as an androgynous character, sometimes as two distinct spirits. For the Fon, the world was created by a hermaphrodite god, Nana Buluku, who gave birth to twins, Mawu and Lisa. The woman, Mawu, has the night as her kingdom and governs the moon. Older, she is wiser and gentler than her brother-husband, Lisa. The night is the time of rest, freshness and closeness. As for Lisa, his domain is the day, with the sun as its founding element. It is a lively and rough man who represents the effort, because the day corresponds to the time of the work. However, the majority of the faithful to the voodoo cult only know the entity of Mawu Lisa. As she has no form, the deity is never represented or associated with objects. She is the creator of the other voodoos, whose role is to relate to humans and the real world. She represents an entity in her own right rather than a person.
Voodoo ceremonies
There are different voodoo rituals that vary according to the customs of each ethnic group. However, they are based on the same principles of putting one or more adepts into a trance during the ceremonies. These rituals are practiced for various reasons: to heal, on a spirit's birthday, to ask for a favor or for protection. They are presided over by a voodoo priest or priestess whose role is to connect humans, the world of spirits and that of the dead. In addition to invoking the iwa with sacred words and offerings, he or she uses a rattle, hollowed out of a calabash containing snake bones, seeds or beads, which symbolizes his or her power. To the rhythm of the songs and drums, the voodoo master, and the initiates during the collective ceremonies, then start to dance until they enter a deep trance of possession by the spirits. This cult of the spirits is also associated with the divination of fetishes which are invested with the spirit of the voodoo god during these mystical ceremonies. Imbued with great cult symbolism, they are adorned with several objects and materials, such as bones, furs and ritual irons. During the rite, the fetishist pours several libations (chicken blood, palm oil, alcoholic beverages...) on the fetishes to intervene with the god. Voodoo is often assimilated to black magic and witchcraft, especially through the ritual of the dolls, which consists in taking power over a particular person from a distance. Contrary to popular belief, the voodoo doll is not only used to cast spells on someone, but can also be used for a good cause: to send a charm, to attract luck to someone, to heal a person... As in many African animist religions, the voodoo initiation rites mark the passage of the adolescent into the world of adults. During this period, often a time of reclusion in a sacred forest, the young person is initiated into the history, religious rites, dances and initiation language of his clan. The initiation rites also include tests designed to increase the physical and moral strength of the initiate. Most Voodoo ceremonies take place in the private sphere, often hidden, but there are collective ceremonies, sometimes open to the uninitiated.
The divination system, Fa
Fa is both the name given to the oracle of Yoruba origin and a system of ancestral divination. In the local language it means "where the voodoo spirits come to speak". According to several legends, this divination would have appeared in the city of Ile-Ife, in Nigeria, before spreading to neighboring countries. Unique in Africa, this geomancy is based on a complex system of sixteen main divine figures and two hundred and forty secondary signs. The interpretations of the voodoo priest, the bokonon, are guided by Fa, a prophetic spirit considered to be the deity of wisdom and destiny. This method is used to know one's future and to make important decisions, whether individual or collective. Under religious pressure and Western influence, this geomancy is less and less practiced nowadays. The priests, who have become elderly, do not have the necessary means to transmit this mystical knowledge, not to mention the growing lack of interest of today's youth. In order to preserve this ancestral art of divination, this system of divination has been inscribed on the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity since 2005.
Secret societies
The voodoo cult has its secret societies whose function is as much social as religious. The Egoun, the Guélédé and the Oro are the three main societies of Yoruba origin present in Benin
The Egoun are "dead men returning". It is through them that the dead manifest themselves to their descendants. The Egoun societies are exclusively masculine. Dressed in very colorful loincloths, decorated with shells and sequins, with their faces masked, the Egoun go out only during the day. An Egoungoun ceremony lasts for a month and ends with a public show where women are not allowed. As the dancer becomes a voodoo himself, the men listen to his advice.
The Zangbéto, literally "guardians of the night", are a secret society that plays the role of police and justice in the villages. They appear as a conical mask made of raffia fiber. They intervene when an individual commits an action that goes against the interests of the community. The Zangbeto surround their ceremonies, their followers and their temples with the greatest secrecy.
As for the Oro societies, they are very present in Porto-Novo
Finally, we should mention the Guélédé societies in Yoruba country, whose masks are famous today. The members of these societies wear masks of great inventiveness that cover the entire body. Similarly, the dances, which are highly codified, have become extremely refined.
In Ouidah, the Vodoun festival
Although the Vodoun festival is celebrated throughout the country on January 10, it is the city of Ouidah that is the epicenter of this true national holiday. The city is lined with numerous voodoo temples recognizable by their white flag, the color of the cult. To attend the ceremonies, you can ask the guides of the Portuguese Fort or the sacred forest, or ask in advance in the travel agencies of Cotonou.
