Voodoo - The Religion of Vodou

Mention the word Vodou, and for most people what comes to mind are Vodou dolls and Zombies. Some people even think that Vodou is associated with Satanism. While Zombies and Vodou dolls both play a role in the religion, it is not in the manner that most Westerners think, and they are not nearly as important as media misconceptions would have us believe. Furthermore, the Vodou religion has nothing to do with Satanism. It has everything to do with a deep belief that all is one, with the veneration of ancestors, with a reverence for nature, and a deep concern for the day to day well-being of its adherents.

Vodou is one of the world’s oldest religions, with millions of devout followers. Vodou, or Voudoun, is sometimes called “the world’s oldest religion” and many believe it to be up to 10,000 years old. It originated in Africa where it was called Voudoun, but took the form of Vodou, which most people are familiar with, during the forced slave migration to Haiti. The African diaspora, or mass migration outside their home country, spread the religion to North and South America, the Philippines, and the Caribbean.

The religion of Vodou plays a huge role in community and family life in areas where it flourishes. It is a religion in which music and dance are very important parts of ceremony and ritual. Vodou also has a strong oral tradition, with stories of various aspects of faith being passed from one generation to the other. It has no prayer books, or central holy text. Because observers of Vodou are thought to communicate quite directly with various spirits, Vodou is quite a personal religion. Although adherents are expected to behave according to accepted standards of Vodou, there is no set list of observations and practices, and rituals can vary greatly from region to region. It is also interesting to note that, for all these reasons, books about Vodou often present their information in the form of stories.