Does voodoo or hoodoo really happen down south?

Question

Like in the movie the skeleton key....

Answer 1

I have researched this question for you:

Simple answer yes. What I am giving you is information that may lead to a better understanding of 'Voodoo' instead. These are note from a previous answer I gave.:

For too many, the word “voodoo” conjures up some wild images. Weird curses involving bones and pins stuck in poppets. Secret societies making sacrifices to their demonic gods. Evil priests raising zombies. Media has given us a sensational but unrealistic view of the vodoun religion. Although some of these are mildly accurate (sacrifice, animal bones and voodoo dolls) they are but a small part of the religion that is practiced today. Just as in Wicca, the vodoun make charms and create spells for money, health, etc. In fact because of the images associated with this word, most practitioners prefer the term Vodou. Although media would have us believe the vodoun are strictly in it for self-gain, that’s not true. According to Vodou belief, magic shouldn’t be employed for selfish gain, especially if it would hurt someone else.

Vodou came form the tribal practices and beliefs of the slaves who were brought to Haiti from West Africa. In the 17th century, slaves bound for the West Indies were taken from over 100 different African ethnic groups. The beliefs and customs of all these groups combined to form Vodou. The two groups who had the greatest influence were the Fon and the Yoruba.

The most important religious practice was ancestor worship. By remembering their ancestors and passing down their knowledge from generation to generation ensuring that their religious traditions would live on.

The Fon believed in hundreds of immortal spirits called vodu. Because the people had personal relationships with the spirits, they needed to communicate with the vodu. Ritual enabled them to talk to the spirits. The most important elements of the tribal rituals were…
- dancing, drumming and chanting to communicate with the spirits
- animal sacrifices made as offerings to the spirits
- a priest or priestess who interpreted messages from the spirits
- possession of the bodies of participants in ritual by the spirits.

The main purpose of the ritual was to communicate with the vodu and receive their guidance in making important decisions. They did this by communicating indirectly with the spirits via the priest/priestess to help their followers determine who their personal vodu were and to interpret the messages for them.
Priests and priestesses were chosen for their ability to connect with the spirits. They were said to have inherited this talent from their mothers or fathers. They were “born into priesthood”.

Priests became the religious and community leaders of the slaves. Any rebellious priest was usually sold to prevent them from “sowing the seeds of dissent” in that empire.

These religious practices continue to thrive today for modern day Benin. Vodoun is the official religion. It is also the dominant religion in Togo and southwest Ghana.

As in every religion, there are those who use it for wrong. With any religion that deals with magic it is said these wrongful users practice black magic. Although legitimate priests and priestesses are taught both the good and the bad, they take an oath upon initiation not to cause harm to others.

The lwa most likely to assit in black magic are : Kalfou, Ezili Danto’, Marinette, Bosou, Ti-jean-petio, Maman Brijit, Ge’de’- Nibo, and Baron Krimine’l.

Once a priest/priestess begins to practice black magic, they are known as a bo’ko’. A bo’ko’ has no temple or devotees and does all his/her rituals in secret. Bo’ko’ are said to serve the lwa with both hands because they practice both white and black magic. When a bo’ko’ buys the powers of one of the dark lwa, he’she must pay a high price, usually life-long service to the lwa. This pact between the lwa and the bo’ko’ is called an angajan. An angajan is like a shortcut to quickly harness the powerful forces of the lwa. Sadly, the majority of the time the bo’ko’ becomes the lwa’s slave and has to be at the beck and call of the lwa.
Despite the numerous spirits the Vodoun communicate with, they believe in only one God. The spirits are the immortal souls of their ancestors. That is why the spirits are honored/served rather than worshipped like Gods.

Christianity was forced on the slaves to rid them of their “superstitions”. Because of this, the Catholic Church saw the conversion of the slaves as justification for their slavery. The belief was that by enslaving these people, they were saving their souls. However the Church’s efforts backfired on them. The slaves found the Christian religion to be the perfect cover to hide their true religious practices.

Because of the days of the Catholic screen, many Vodoun still have images of Catholic Saints on their altars. However it’s not the saints they are worshipping. The pictures are just that --- pictures representing pre-existing African spirits.

Each major spirit of Vodou was matched with a Catholic saint based on similarity. An example would be Saint Patrick (an image of him driving the snakes out of Ireland) used to identify with Danbala, a snake spirit.
The lwa are immortal spirits with supernatural powers. They fall somewhere between God and the human race. They are very similar to the saints, angels and demons of Catholicism. The lwa oversee all human activities such as: marriage, childbirth, health, work, money, war, art, etc.

Lwa are divided into several groups called nanchons. There are at least 17 different nanchons but only a few are known by name.
*Rada – originated in Dahomey
*Petro – originated in Haiti
*Ibo – from on of the major Yoruban tribes
*Nago – another of the major Yoruban tribes
*Ginen – originated in Guinea
*Bambara – originated in Sudan
*Wangol – originated in Angola
*Siniga – originated in Senegal

Of these, the Rada and Petro nanchons dominate the others and have taken in the lwa of the other nations.


I hope this has helped. If I can be of any other assistance please feel free to contact me.
Blessed Be

Answer 2

Yes, they happen. Not only in the South, but also in other parts of the world as well. They come in many names, Santasa, Hoodoo, Voodoo, etc. but usually it's just a variation of the original cult. I don't know about the skeleton key, but usually with these stories, they base it on something that really happened or something that supposedly happened.
Hope I've been helpful. (^_^)

Answer 3

A lot of people do practice voodoo and hoodoo and though it IS practiced more widely in the Southern states, that doesn't mean that it only happens down there. That said, voodoo is a religion just like any other. They do not practice violence like the movies and myths would like you to believe. It has the same basic moral belief that many religions have: don't kill, steal, lie; treat your neighbors like you'd want to, etc.

Answer 4

Not like in that movie, no.

But African-derived religions are common throughout the Atlantic Rim. Vodu is one such religion, incorporating elements of Yoruban Ifa and Roman Catholicism, that originated in French-speaking parts of the New World from Haiti to New Orleans; hoodoo or conjure is an African American religion also derived from primarily Yoruba roots and filtered through Protestantism as well as to some degree influenced by interactions with Native American religious traditions in the Southeastern United States.

But these are real religions. They are not the stuff of horror movies.

Answer 5

Yes, I have known people who do both. Sing Mary my daddy's wet nurse after his moma died was one. She did hoodoo. A woman I work with here in Las Vegas is into voodoo.

Answer 6

I think they do voodoo, but I do not have any idea what hoodoo is. It is a southern thing to like mystcal things, like voodoo.

Answer 7

the southern statess are not as advanced as us northern areas. many ppl there still believe in voodoo. dont forget that the skeleton key is not based on a true story, it was a good one tho, freaky too

Answer 8

Who do voodoo? Down in the Loosianna byou

Answer 9

U don't have to go far, just come to Miami we got it all, Haitian voodoo and Cuban Santeria

Answer 10

Down here we dont do voodoo or voocrap or whatever.

Answer 11

is bush still in office. u bet your *** do south does voodoo one of them is called santa maria .