Voodoo is animistic and theistic.
Voodoo is the name given to a religion that has its origins in Africa and that developed from contact with Christianity among slaves who were transported to Europe and America . These people began to combine their beliefs with other elements and thus the particularities of voodoo were forged.
Due to its set of rituals and beliefs, voodoo is defined as animistic (gives soul to objects) and theistic (has deities). Its cultists believe in the state of trance as a vehicle to communicate with these divinities and in sacrifices as offerings.
Characteristics of voodoo
It is important to note that, due to syncretism , the movement that seeks to reconcile different doctrines, there are numerous variants of voodoo and even derivative religions have developed, such as Umbanda and Santeria . In a broad sense, it can be said that voodoo supports the existence of an entity that governs the supernatural universe, but that is not accessible to humans. In this way, men communicate with said universe through other entities known as loas . In other words, the loas are intermediaries between people and the main supernatural entity.
Each loa is summoned and praised in a different way with rituals, dances and other practices. Voodoo also contemplates the participation of priests ( houngan ) who have the ability to contact the loas so that these spirits speak through them.
When the houngan uses his power to do evil, he is called bokor . There are those who believe that the bokor can do black magic , using dolls to harm people or turning the dead into zombies .
Voodoo is often associated with black magic.
conjure or hoodoo
On the other hand, there is the so-called New Orleans voodoo , which is also known as hoodoo or conjure , and it is a type of magic used by the African-American portion of the population of that region of the United States .
It was formed from syncretism, and therefore combines practices from the tradition of several religions, such as those traditional to Africa and Europe , some concepts and practices from European magic books called grimoires , and practices specific to certain American tribes.
Voodoo controversies
Certain aspects of voodoo are highly controversial , making it an irresistible source of content for screenwriters and storytellers around the world, especially for genres such as horror and suspense. However, as often happens when a belief or discipline is turned into fiction, many of the stories that revolve around voodoo are riddled with errors regarding the bases and practices of this religion, something that has not been benefited at all.
Firstly, the term voodoo is often used out of context and without sufficient knowledge of the religion simply to allude to issues such as Satanism, dolls and zombies .
If we focus on this last point, for example, it is important to note that the power to bring a person back from death, that is, reanimate them through witchcraft practices, is not a major phenomenon within the voodoo culture nor is it part of of religion, although there is evidence of this type of magic by its practitioners. In fact, it is believed that creating a zombie depends more on a sorcerer or a bokor than on a priest.
Dolls and needles, the most widespread image of voodoo, seem to have emerged in the magical folklore of Europe, although their exact origin is unknown, and then to have reached hoodoo , so it is not an exclusive or representative practice of the voodoo. voodoo.