WHY WOULD A VODOU Ceremony BE HELD?
According to Vodou tradition, the later situations are all viewed as good reasons to identifiable a ritual.
To show a special curve of the Lwa (the spirits of Vodou);
* To gap a critical problem;
* To counterbalance black magick or remove a evil spirit;
* To cross in opposition to harm or danger;
* To heal the sick;
* To escape a run of bad luck;
* To someone talent or a transmutation in fortune;
* To hand over decorate to the Lwa;
* To relieve an hurt Lwa;
* To soothe the weight of a Lwa;
* To someone one or improved ancestors;
* To respond to a special festival, such as Initiation;
* To evidence a holiday, a saint's festival, or a day sacred to a be in possession of Lwa; and
* At the show of an specific or address.
Most rituals survive clearly a few hours, at the same time as some cuddle been professional to go on for days. Most Vodou ceremonies reverence the self-same basic pattern: the oungan (priest) invokes one or improved Lwa, offers fodder and sacrifices, and the spirit is furthermore asked to perform on the physical airplane.
Inauguration IN VODOU
Guise who has been called by the Lwa would cuddle tons reasons for wanting to be initiated. The if possible and premier fight is that initiation is the clearly path inside priesthood. Advantages of initiation are:
* The set out can approximate the Lwa improved direct and lead a improved attractive spiritual life;
* Inauguration deepens the put with the Lwa;
* Inauguration is expected to put out the devotee's good luck and good health;
* Inauguration gives the follower greater than before protection in opposition to magickal attacks; and
* Initiates identifiable a director place in the socyete (a community of Vodou practitioners) and can play a part improved direct in rituals.
The if possible search out in Inauguration is the lave te't (washing the manage). This functions fondness a baptism, cleansing and purifying initiates. It plus readies them for going on down the path to konesans (the absolute consciousness of knowledge of the Lwa, rituals, and herbal cures understood by an oungan).
Agreeable possessions of the lave te't are:
* It removes negative energies, such as evil spirits or black magic;
* It can relieve an hurt law;
* It strengthens the put with the me't te't (patron Lwa);
* It gives the follower a deeper impact to the spiritual world; and
* It refreshes the vivacity and so can help heal nausea.
The bulletin search out of Inauguration serves as a rite of textbook, transforming the Novice inside a enthusiast of the ounfo's (Vodou temple) spiritual address. This ritual is cellular phone kanzo.
Potent DATES FOR VODOU CEREMONIES
Offer are tons dates that are deliberate worthy in the Vodou calendar. These dates mostly prerogative a ceremony in Vodou practice. Certified of these dates are:
* January 6, Les Rois - honors the ancestral African kings;
* February 25, Manje Te't Dlo - ritual feeding of the springs, or sources of rivers;
* March/April, Souvenance Spectacle - a week-long event celebrating the fierce Rada Lwa in Souvenance; clearly oungans and mambos can attend;
* Tramp 20, Legba Zaou - honors Papa Legba with the sacrifice of a black goat;
* April 29, Chunk Kanari - sends the souls of public who died in the departed day to the realm of the dead;
* April 30, Manje-mo - ritual feeding of the address ancestors;
* May 12, Manje-lwa - ritual feeding of the Lwa sacred to the family;
* July 16, Pilgrimage to Saut-d-Eau - pilgrimage to the sacred waterfall;
* July 25, Papa Ogou - pilgrimage to Plaine du Nord in pet name of Ogou Feray;
* July 26, Day for Ezili - rituals and pilgrimages devotion Ezili;
* Admired 15, Soukri Kongo Spectacle - week-long ceremony at Nan Soukri to cool pet name the Kongo Lwa;
* November 1, New Year's Day - ritual bonfires are lit for Papa Legba;
* November 2, Fe't Ge'de - event to pet name dead address members, Baron Samedi, and Maman Brijit;
* November 25, Manje-yanm - pick event understood in rural Haiti;
* December 12, Bato d' Agwe - afferings to Agwe and the other sea Lwa are floated out to see on an lavish raft;
* December 25, Fe't des Membres - devotees return home to allege purifying baths; and
* December 28, Manje Marasa - ceremony to pet name the divine twins.
Offer are, of course, tons other dates to identifiable rituals in Vodou. These are clearly the peak worthy, the dates that requisite not be unnoticed.
Ceremony in Vodou is a tough practice. Practitioners of Vodou use rituals to someone, allege curve, to gap evils, and to heal, in the middle of other cram. The intricacies of Vodou ritual collect tons lifetime of study and discipline to master.