Lwa Voodoo

Voodoo, or “Vodou” is an ancient West African religion primarily found in Haiti, New Orleans and the Caribbean. Many people outside of Haiti see Voodoo as a religion, yet if you were to ask someone who practices Voodoo what their religion is, they will most likely say their religion is Catholicism (Tann). Voodoo is a monotheistic religion, which means they only pray to one god. The only god in Voodoo is named Bondye. Bondye means “good god”, yet there is technically no bad god in Voodoo. Bondye is a distant god and is not considered to be a “hands on” type of god. Instead of Bondye directly impacting the lives of people who practice Voodoo, there are spirits named “Lwas” or “Loas” there to directly assist the community.
Lwas are invited to

All Lwas may be served on Saturdays, but must never be served on Sundays and any time during Holy Week, or between Christmas and Epiphany (Tann). In Voodoo, the Rada Lwa is honored before any other Lwa – immediately after praying to Bondye (Tann). The Rada Lwa roots are derived from Africa. The Rada Lwa is known as the most benevolent, therefore the Rada’s associated color is white. The Petro Lwa originated in the New World, more specifically, in Haiti. The Petro Lwa is known to be more aggressive and is associated with gloomier subjects and practices. Consequently, the color red is most associated with the Petro Lwa. The Ghede Lwa is connected with the dead and is in charge of transporting dead souls. Due to their dark nature, the Ghede Lwa’s color is

Bondye, the supreme being of the Vodou religion, does not interfere with human affairs, so most of communication and prayers of Haitian Vodou is directed towards the Lwa. The Haitian form of Vodou is practiced not only in Haiti but also parts of the Dominican Republic, eastern Cuba, some minor islands of the Bahamas, the United States, and wherever there is a migrant Haitian