Samedi: Voudon Calendar

Like most religions, Voudon has its own special festivals designed to bring worshipers into touch with the divine spirits.  Depending on where a voudonist is from, the main festivals, or fetes as they are called, will number between twelve and twenty per year.  I spent time in the Les Cayes region and keep the fetes that were taught to me there.  Though local festivals can raise the number to as many as thirty, this general list of fetes is an all around if not all inclusive example of the celebrations in Voudon.

Many of the fetes are synergized with Catholic Holy Days.  This, it goes with out saying, gave the original slave population of old Sante Domingue the opportunity to celebrate the lwa without drawing attention to their practices.  To masters and overseers, the slaves were celebrating Our Lady of Mount Carmel on July 16^th, for instance, when in fact they were raising a fete for Erzulie Freda.

For the purposes of this list, I will give the date, Voudon fete, Catholic Holy Day and significance as I understand it.

January 6,  Voudon Fete Les Rois, Catholic Epiphany: This celebration honors the ancestral kings of Africa and is similar to celebrations of the 9 African Powers in Santeria

February 25, Manje Tet Dlo, no corresponding Holy Day: Offerings are made to feed rivers and springs so that they will continue to provide sweet water

Movable fete usually in March or April, Fete Souvenance, Good Friday: A weeklong festival held in Souvenance which only houngans and mambos may participate in

March 20, Legba Zaou, no Holy Day: Homage is paid to Papa Legba through the sacrifice of a black goat

April 30, Manje mo, no Holy Day: Offerings of food are made to family ancestors

May 12, Manje lwa, no Holy Day: Offerings of food are made to the lwa sacred to the local ounfo

July 16, Fete Saut d’Eau, Our Lady of Mount Carmel: People make a pilgrimage to bathe in the waterfall at Saut d’Eau recognizing Erzulie Freda

July 25, Fete Ougo, St. James: People make a pilgrimage to Plaine du Nord in recognition of Ougo Ferraille

August 15, Fete Soukri Kongo, Feast of the Assumption:  Weeklong honoring of the Kongo lwa at Nan Soukri

November 2, Fete de mo, All Souls’ Day: Weeklong remembrance of dead family members and Ghede lwa like Maman Brigitte and Baron Samedi including ritual meals which are prepared without salt

November 25, Manje yanm, no Holy Day: Celebration of the harvest

December 25, Fete des Membres, Christmas: Every attempt is made to return to one’s home where ritual baths and feasting are part of the celebrations

December 28, Manje Marasa, Feast of the Holy Innocents: The divine twin lwa known as the Marasa are celebrated

My personal favorite is Fete de mo, because I especially appreciate that this is a celebration that was recognized by my Celtic ancestors as well.  Finding connections to all the things that we are and can be may be the best thing that any religion, “organized” or not, can do for us.  At least that’s what I hope for.  Bon Samedi mes amis ~

Header: Soukri Kongo celebration in modern Haiti via HaitiXchange.com

Samedi: The Family Erzulie

In Haitian Voudon, a group of female lwa stands out as a particularly dysfunctional sisterhood.  These are the Erzulies or Ezilis as they are known in Creole. 

There is Erzulie Freda Dahomey, the gorgeous and luxurious.  She is the queen of all things beautiful, sensuous and graceful.  Erzulie Freda is envisioned as a light skinned woman with light eyes; she speaks only French and is the dream of every mortal man.  She is herself a sensual animal who takes lovers from among the lwa and her human worshipers.  Maryaj lwa with Erzulie, though not necessarily common, is one of the most likely such entanglements with the lwa for a man to find himself in.  Erzulie Freda is said to be the “consort” of three male lwa: Danbala, Ogou and Agwe.  All of these gentlemen are married to others.

Erzulie Freda’s sister, or perhaps her other half, is La Siren.  She is the blond haired, white skinned mermaid who is lwa of the deep blue sea.    Mermaids are extremely common in Afro-Caribbean and African American stories.  The tales generally tell of a beautiful, fish-tailed woman who lures an adult or sometimes a child down to her watery domain where they live for what seems like a year, but is in fact decades or even centuries.  La Siren follows this pattern as well.  Though generally benevolent, she can turn violent just as the sea does in a storm.  In this guise she is known as La Balien – the whale – and she can be deadly.  She is married to the sea lwa and admiral, Agwe.

The third sister is Erzulie Danto, the mother lwa of the Petwo nachon whose tongue was cut out by Haitian revolutionaries so that she would not tell their secrets.  She is a fierce mother and warrior, dark skinned and ample in form who has a scar on her cheek.  This wound was inflicted when she fought with Erzulie Freda, and the two have detested each other ever since.  Their enmity is only increased by the fact that Erzulie Danto is married to the warrior lwa Ogou.  Erzulie Danto can wreak havoc against human women in fits of rage and jealousy, but she is also known to take women in maryaj lwa and is thought to be the patron of lesbians.

The three sisters’ grandmother also goes by their name.  She is known as Grande Erzulie (or Grann Ezili) and in some sociétés she is the patron of prostitutes (in others, this task falls to Maman Brigitte).   She is also the lwa of regret, weeping over lost love, beauty and opportunity.  Grande Erzulie is envisioned as impossibly ancient and crippled by rheumatoid arthritis.  For this reason, she is the patron of people of any age who suffer from this crippling autoimmune disease.  My daughter, who has the juvenile form of arthritis, is beginning to cultivate a relationship with Grande Erzulie.

All four of the Erzulies can be of great benefit to their devoted worshipers.  But as always, know your lwa and respect them fully.  The opposite of benefit is not always simple hindrance.  Bonne chance ~

Header: Mater Dolorosa de Monte Cavario, the Catholic aspect of Erzulie Freda

Samedi: Maryaj Lwa

I have done my damndest over the course of the last week to completely tune out the “royal wedding”.  I’m an American; it really has no effect on me.  I hope those two people are happy but all the rest of it is a bit much, I think.  That said, Voudon has its own kind of “royal wedding” where in a common mortal may be chosen by a divine spirit and elevated to the status of their husband or wife.  This is the maryaj lwa or spirit marriage.

Generally speaking, a man or woman will be called by their met tête or dominant spirit to take a vow of marriage with them.  This occurs through dreams, which is the way almost all voudoisants experience communication from the lwa.  On far more unusual occasions, a lwa not previously involved with the person will ask for marriage which sometimes prompts that person’s met tête to also ask for vows.  Frequently jealousy issues arise between the lwa when this happens and it can be hell to be popular (for the mortal involved) in such a case.

The human partner has large responsibilities in these marriages.  They will have to arrange a not inexpensive ceremony including bridal clothes, rings, cake and other foods favored by their bride or groom as well as guests and a prêt savann, or bush priest, to perform the ceremony.  The costs can be ruinous, and that’s just the wedding.  After the marriage the mortal is expected to wear wedding rings, both theirs and their lwa spouse’s, at all times.  They are to keep a separate bed in which they will sleep with their spirit spouse one night a week.  Any deviation from this routine – and in particular any sexual congress with another mortal on that day/night – will bring the wrath of the lwa down on their husband or wife.  It goes without saying that an altar must be kept to the lwa spouse and offerings made regularly.

In return the mortal spouse will be given special attention by their lwa.  They will be favored in those areas that the lwa controls and given precedence in intersession of prayers over the lwa’s non-spouses. 

As you may have imagined, the lwa are polygamous not only with humans but among themselves as well which can lead to some awkward interactions.  The lwa most likely to ask a mortal to marry them are Erzulie Freda, and her sisters La Siren and Erzulie Danto.  The gentlemen most frequently seen in maryaj lwa are Danbala, Ogou and Agwe.  This is where the trouble can start because Danbala, Ogou and Agwe are all married to Erzulie Freda.  While Danbala’s first wife is Ayida Wedo, Agwe’s main wife is La Siren and Ogou’s is Erzulie Danto.  To make matters worse Erzulie Freda and Erzulie Danto despise one another.  As if the pot could not be stirred up any more, Erzulie Danto will sometimes ask a woman to marry her, putting her at odds with both male and female lwa. 

Some connections are dealt with by multiple marriages to calm any potential jealousy.  A woman who marries Danbala will also marry Ogou, for instance, while a man who marries Erzulie Freda will invariably also marry Erzulie Danto.  This may make the lwa happy but it is a lot for the human spouse to take on.

Though it may sound spiritually glamorous to be called to maryaj lwa, most of us are thankful to have been overlooked.  While I love the lwa, I’m happy to simply tend to my relationships on this side of the gate.

Header: The Long Engagement by Arthur Hughes c 1859

Samedi: Paket Kongo

What might look like an onion shaped piece of silk or satin tied up with ribbon and sporting a crown of feathers or an almost awkward set of arms is, in fact, a bundle of magick.  This is the Voudon paket kongo used for healing and protection.

The paket, which is a Haitian Creole word, is made by an houngan or mambo in a specialized ceremony performed during one of the three days of the full moon.  The paket is dedicated to a lwa or djab with close connections to the person for whom it is intended.  Alternately, but also rarely, the paket is dedicated to a lwa the person would like to become more familiar with.  The size, color and confirmation of the paket depend on the lwa being served.  A red silk paket with peacock feathers protruding directly from its base may be dedicated to Ogou Ferraille while a pink satin paket studded with sequins and with a number of sensuously curving “arms” holding duck down may be for Erzulie Freda.  These “arms”, which often appear in odd numbers, are reserved for “female” pakets.

Inside the cloth are specific ingredients that will draw the help of the spirit in question.  Usually ashes from an animal sacrifice are included; perhaps those of a black pig for Erzulie Danto, for instance.  Herbs are added, most commonly known by their Haitian names as bwa-din, twa-pawol and zo-devan.  The lwa Simbi, controller of all magickal working, is called upon as the paket is tied up with appropriately colored ribbon which must be knotted seven times.

Once made and consecrated, the paket kongo is kept on an altar either in the home or in the Voudon temple.  The paket may be passed over the body of a sick person to effect healing, or used in other ceremonial ritual or even surprisingly mundane practices to draw the help and support of the spirit it serves.  Regardless of its intended use, the paket kongo has a life span of seven years.  After that, its power is gone and the ritual must be repeated to make a new paket all together.

Header: Paket Kongo to Erzulie Freda via Haitianna

Samedi: Pelerinage

Like most religions, Voudon has its own devotional pilgrimages. The places that draw the faithful in Haiti, though, are usually not buildings, churches or cities but are often bodies of water. Followers of Voudon may be led to personal places of pilgrimage; there are many cases of voudonists being told by a lwa or ancestor in a dream to visit a forest, park or seashore and they will make this a habit. There are also major pilgrimage sites that have become famous in their own right.

Two of the best known focuses of Voudon pilgrimage, or pelerinage, are the mud baths at the Plaine du Nord in northern Haiti and the waterfall at Saut d’Eau near the village of Ville Bonheur. The festival at Plaine du Nord takes place on St. James’ Day, July 25th and celebrates the lwa of fire, the forge and technology Ogou Ferraille. The town of Plaine du Nord surrounds what is known as Trou Sen Jak, a large mud pond which is said to have healing powers. The mud is warmed by underground steam and, because he is a “hot” lwa, it is not surprising that it is sacred to Ogou. The worshipers who flock to the little town bathe in the mud not only to honor Ogou, but also to receive healing which both the lwa and the mud itself are said to impart. The worshippers appear in blue clothing with red piping, trying to emulate Ogou who is frequently pictured as a soldier. They wear red head scarves and hope to be blessed with the courage and masculine energy of the lwa in spirit possession.

Saut d’Eau is a 100 foot series of falls outside Ville Bonheur where, in 1847, a vision of Erzulie Freda as the Virgin Mary was seen in a palm tree. The local priest had the tree cut down to discourage voudonists from worshiping there and it promptly fell into the water beneath the falls, floating away serenely. The priest died of an untreatable illness and the locals got the word out that Erzulie Freda had claimed the falls for herself. Now each July 16th crowds of voudonists and tourists swell the little village and participate in the purifying bathing ritual at the falls. All those who jump into the water remove their clothes and allow them to float off like Erzulie’s palm tree, taking their sins away with them and allowing them to emerge from the water clean both physically and spiritually. The village is about 60 miles north of Port-au-Prince and the festival has a carnival atmosphere with music, food and curio stands, drumming and dancing. The most influential and devoted voudonists never miss a year but those not accustomed to the festival should take special precautions. There’s a lot going on and, much like Mardi Gras in New Orleans, the criminal element never misses a year, either.

Of course we can’t all go to Saut d’Eau but there are places of Voudon pilgrimage in North America at least. The shrine of Sainte Anne in Quebec is a huge draw on her feast day in July. New York voudonists visit Prospect Park to commune with the lwa of the forest, Gran Bwa. And of course the grave of the famous “voodoo queen” Marie Laveau in New Orleans’ St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 is an ongoing destination for those seeking her favor. It is the custom to make three Xs on the grave with a shard of red brick, ask for your desire and then leave a small gift for Madame Paris, as she is also known. Bon pelerinage ~

Header: Saut d’Eau via HaitiWiki (click to truly enjoy the beauty of the place)

Samedi: The Favorite Gift

In Voudon it is understood that the lwa need to be fed. The lwa were once people, just like us, and their need for sustenance – though it has changed – has not left them. They all have a special morsel that they are particularly fond of and those who have a devotion to any given lwa will often be instructed, usually in dreams, to offer certain foods or drinks. Because of this, long lists of what foods suit what lwa can be instructive but only if the individual lwa’s needs are not overlooked in their favor. The spirits will speak up and anyone who works with them had best pay attention.

For the Ghede in general and the Barons and Maman Brigitte in particular, one specific offering is universally understood as welcome: Barbancourt rum.

Sometimes referred to as rhum agricole (although, technically, only rum from Martinique can be so designated), Barbancourt is made exclusively from sugarcane grown on Plaine du Cul-de-Sac in Haiti. The House of Barbancourt was founded in 1862 and the process for making this rum has not changed since that time. The cane is crushed and processed immediately after harvesting. The juice is stocked in vats, yeast is added and then the mixture is allowed to ferment. The result is a kind of sugarcane wine that is then distilled and aged in French oak casks. This is unique as most rums are aged in the same type of barrels as American bourbon.

The result is a dry, oaky taste similar to a full bodied Chardonnay or champagne. The Barbancourt bottle is usually adorned with stars, their number being a key to the years the rum has been aging in those divine oak barrels: three stars mean it has been aged four years, five stars mean eight years. The Reserve Domaine has been aged fifteen years and is very much the rum equivalent of Dom Perrignon champagne.

Other lwa who are particularly fond of rum in general and Barbancourt in particular are Papa Legba, the Lord of the Gate, Ogou, the warrior and Erzulie Danto, his warrior spouse.

Because it is delightful, and prohibitively expensive in a place where many families survive on a dollar or two a day, Barbancourt is a seductively generous gift to the lwa. Though difficult to get in more out of the way parts of the U.S. (like up here in Alaska) nothing is truly out of reach in our Internet age. Consider giving it a try yourself, and find out why the spirits are so fond of this hand crafted indulgence.

Header: Rhum Barbancourt modern label