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Voodoo, am I right?

So here’s how today’s blog will go…we’ll first explore voodoo in general and where it came from. We’ll then move into more specific New Orleans Voodoo where we’ll also discuss some famous voodoo practitioners and of course we’ll encounter Gena’s Macabre Moment! As I’m sure everyone here can account information about voodoo, especially if you’ve ever been interested in New Orleans. Okay so let’s start with the history of voodoo and how it came to be so well known in New Orleans.


Vodou is an afro-Haitian religion which means “spirit” or “deity” in the Fon Language. It is a worldwide philosophy, medicine, justice, and religion. Its fundamental principle is that everything is spirit. Humans are spirits to inhabit the visible world. Then there are unseen spirits which include spirits, mysteries, invisibles, angels, spires of ancestors and recently deceased. All of which reside in a land called Ginen, a cosmic “Africa”. The primary goal in life is to serve the spirits which is done by prayer and performing devotional rites. These would be directed at God and the unseen spirits to receive health, protection and favor. Often in these rituals would be a type of spirit possession. Vodou is an oral tradition of manuscripts. There are also several branches of voodoo which segways into the New Orleans Voodoo which was brought to New Orleans around 1719 to 1731. (documents weren’t accurate) when slaves from west Africa arrived.


New Orleans Voodoo

New Orleans voodoo is more of a mix of the Afro-Haitain religion and Catholicism. It is often referred to as Voodoo Catholicism and was made popular by Marie Laveau, the voodoo queen of New Orleans. We’ll get to know her in a bit. We have a few things to discuss before we get to more on her later. Similar to the Hiatian Voodoo religion, voodoo catholicism believes in connection to nature, spirits and the ancestors. The difference in belief is that they believe in a god who does not interfere in everyday life, but instead leaves it up to the spirits to help. The spirit's attention is gained through dance, music, chanting, other rituals, and snakes.


How are snakes involved?

I figured you would ask as I know Phil is not a fan of snakes. But in voodoo around the world, snakes are seen as a symbol of strength. In Benin, Africa, travelers can attend voodoo rituals. In an interview from a historian in 2017 by BBC, there is an eyewitness account of these rituals. Located in Benin is the Temple of Pythons which honors their god Dagbe who is said to have the power over change. The Temple of Pythons is home to several Royal Pythons, some accounts say about 60 pythons call this temple home. There they are revered as religious symbols like that of cows in India. They do not feed the snakes in the temple, and are instead let out once a week to prey on local chickens and mice. The pythons are said to occasionally slither into homes and are treated as an ordinary guest before being returned to the temple.


So back to the Temple of Pythons, the eyewitness accounts discuss the voodoo ritual that was performed. Remember this is the Afro-Hiatian voodoo and not that mixed with the Catholic religion, but the rituals are very similar to the late 1800’s that we’ll discuss here shortly. The ritual begins with draining the blood of a chicken which is then spread across the tiles in the temple. Some accounts say the blood is then put in a pit where more pythons are. The blood is also mixed into a millet with is passed around and eaten by the followers. This ritual was an offering for change and protection. The ceremony then continued across the street where three different animals were cooked and eaten as an offering also.


New Orleans Music

French and Spanish (also known as Creoles) were more laid back with slaves and allowed them their worship ceremonies one afternoon a week in Congo Square. In Congo Square, slaves could once again be Africans. They were allowed to sing, dance, and worship how they wanted. They would bring bells, drums, and other musical instruments. Creoles had no issues with the slaves and other free people of color stripping down and dancing to the beat of a drum in the heat. The use of bamboula drums was popular. This type of music (like the habanera rhythm) led to the evolution of jazz.


Real Marie Laveau

So we all knew that we were going to discuss Marie Laveau who is also known at the Voodoo Queen of New Orleans. So what have you heard about her? (give time for answers) I can honestly say before my research all I had to go on was my supernatural romance books and the only voodoo I knew about I learned from a New Orleans princess and a prince turned frog.


Documents weren’t real accurate back then concerning slaves and free people of color, but Marie Laveau is said to have been born in 1794 or 1801. Most point to Marie being born in 1801. She grew up in the voodoo religion but was later turned catholic. It is said that she attended mass daily at the local catholic church in New Orleans, but she also practiced voodoo. There was a saying back then, catholic by day, voodoo by night. This is because many practiced voodoo ceremonies deep in the bayous to hide from onlookers.


Laveau’s first husband was a quadroon (¾ white) woodworker or carpenter by the name of Jaques Paris. He mysteriously disappeared shortly after their marriage in 1819 and his death certificate was filed 5 years later. In 2021, a LSU student believes she has found the grave of Jaques Paris. Upon her research, she found that Jaques used a known alias to move to Baton Rouge where he died of an undocumented illness. This has yet to be disproven at the time of original airing.


After the announcement of his death, Laveau started to refer to herself as the Widow Paris. This was common during this time after the passing of a husband. She became a hairdresser to help make ends meet. This is where she met a lot of wealthy white women along with creole and some She would later enter into a long term partnership with Louis Christopher Duminy de Clapion in 1826. He too was a quadroon. Some sources said she adopted several children during her life while a few others said she and Clapion had 15 children in quick succession. She maintained her hairdressing business along with her voodoo side hustle for many years until she “retired” in 1878. However her retirement was short lived as she spent the last years of her life feeding the hungry and nursing the sick during the yellow fever epidemic.


Gena’s Macabre Moment

I had heard of scarlet fever but I guess I hadn’t really heard of yellow fever so I wanted some more research from this time period. Apparently there was an almost annual outbreak of yellow fever from 1825 on but the 1878 outbreak was larger. It was thought to be caused by humid air acting on filthy, undrained soil. Scientist later discovered the outbreaks were due to mosquitoes which would New Orleans had no sewer system at the time and their water was often pumped directly from the Mississippi River. The symptoms of yellow fever (now rare) include fever and pains up to severe liver disease with bleeding and yellowing of the skin. It is estimated that about 20,000 people across the Mississippi Valley that year.


Doctor John

Doctor John was a voodoo king. He is known for being Marie Laveau’s teacher in the ways of voodoo ceremonies. He had great knowledge in voodoo traditions along with medicinal purposes for herbs and plants. Rumors circulated that Dr. John taught Marie Laveau the power of Gris-Gris or voodoo amulet. He started out as a cotton roller and later turned to reading fortunes because had a good way of reading people. He teamed up with Laveau but after several bad business ventures he went broke and had to move in with his daughter.


And there you have the hi-story of New Orleans voodoo! Thanks for reading!


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We're just a lovable bunch of weirdos who have a weird fascination with all things history related. Our regular podcasters (Gina, Phil, Joey, Abbie) grew up in the Midwest area and have known each other for 22+ years. 

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