Haiti Voodoo History, 10 Things You May Not Know

The history of Voodoo in Haiti is surrounded by myth and mystery. The Haitian version of the religion was created by slaves brought over from Africa in the 16th Century. Here are 10 things you may not have known about the history of this fascinating religion in the region.

• In Haiti, the religion was borne out of a merging of Roman Catholic Christianity and the practices and beliefs of West African slaves who carried on the traditions of their home countries.
• The original term Vodou, or Vodu, in its original dialect means divine creature or spirit.
• The original slaves mixed Roman Catholicism into the religion to disguise the practice of Vodou as it was considered pagan by their slave-masters.
• The most historically important Vodou ceremony on the island was the Bwa Kayiman in 1791 led by the Vodou priest called Boukman. During the ceremony a black pig was offered to the spirit Ezili Dantor and all those present pledged to fight for their freedom. The ceremony resulted in the liberation of the Haitian people from their French masters in 1804.
• Between 1815 and 1850, under the Emperor Soulouque, Voodoo enjoyed a renewed acceptance and emerged more publicly.
• Between 1860 and 1945, various periods of Roman Catholic suppression saw a culmination of an all- out war against the religion. The failure of this war against the religion saw the Roman Catholics decrease their overt suppression of Voodoo.
• Haitian Vodou migrated to the US to a significant degree in the 1960s and early 1970s as waves of immigrants fled the country to escape the oppressive Duvalier regime.
• Duvalier actively recruited Voodoo specialists to help him to control the people. This proved to be a failure as the religion is essentially a family-based cult and did not prove to be successful when used in the political arena.
• A presidential decree dated April 4^th 2003 saw Voodoo officially recognized as a religion on the island.
• January 2010 after the Haiti earthquake, traditional Vodou ceremonies were held in West Africa to appease the spirits. There were also reports of Voodoo priests being lynched as they stood accused of using witchcraft to spread cholera.

Looking for some interesting information on Voodoo? www.TheSecretsOfVoodoo.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Barruci