Haitian Vodou

Haitian Vodou^[a] (/ˈvoʊduː/) is an African diasporic religion that developed in Haiti between the 16th and 19th centuries. It arose through a process of syncretism between several traditional religions of West and Central Africa and Catholicism. There is no central authority in control of the religion and much diversity exists among practitioners, who are known as Vodouists in English.

Vodou teaches the existence of a transcendent creator divinity, Bondye, under whom are spirits known as lwa. These lwa typically derive their names from traditional West and Central African deities, are equated with Catholic saints, and divide into groups called nanchon ("nations"), most notably the Rada and the Petwo. This theology has been labelled both monotheistic and polytheistic. Vodouists will often be initiated into an ounfò (temple), run by an oungan (priest) or manbo (priestess), through which group ceremonies are conducted. Alternatively, Vodou is also practised within family groups or in secret societies like the Bizango. Adherents seek the aid of the lwa, and spirits of the dead, by offering them fruit, liquor, and sacrificed animals. Communication with the lwa is sought through divination and through a key ritual in which Vodouists drum, sing, and dance to encourage a lwa to temporarily possess the dancers. Healing rituals and the preparation of herbal remedies and talismans also play a prominent role.

Vodou developed among Afro-Haitian communities amid the Atlantic slave trade of the 16th to 19th centuries. Its structure arose from the blending of the traditional religions of those enslaved West and Central Africans brought to the island of Hispaniola, among them Kongo, Fon, and

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