Thousands of foreign visitors visit the country during this time to witness out of this world ceremonies and find the most unusual merchandise in Benin’s fetish markets, including pythons and preserved skulls of dogs, elephants, goats, monkeys, and even of humans.During the festival, thousands of Beninese of all classes from the provinces and rural areas who belong to the Voodoo religion come together and travel to Ouidah to be blessed by the capital’s chief Voodoo priest, Daagbo Hounon Houna. Connecting you to Africa through telling stories of her culture, history and heritage.OUIDAH, BENIN - JANUARY 10: Nigerian 'Voodoo Spirits' walk the streets on January 10, 2012 in Ouidah, Benin. In the past centuries, voodoo was born in the region between Abomey and Ouidah in Benin; these rituals are still practiced today and nearly 80% of the nation's population professes this religion and Benin's feticheurs are very powerful and very respected. Live rats and fish often make an appearance, as does hand-carved wood.The unsavory smell (rotting animal parts, damp, moldy items) will greet you before you enter this section of the large Grand Marché de Dantokpa. Today, there are still communities in the Caribbean that still practise voodoo. While exploring the Cape Coast area of Ghana, we met Apollo, a man with a family history in Benin. At night, the doors are open for the Pythons to slither out if they want to. Benin is the place where the Voodoo, or vodu, was born and today is the official religion of the country; voodoo means “soul” or “strength” in Fon, and at the time of the Kingdom of Dahomey it has had its maximum development and has remained unaltered over the centuries, although in the period of the European colonization this religion is said to have been demonized. Ouidah is Benin's Voodoo heartland, and thought to be the spiritual birthplace of Voodoo or Vodun as it known in Benin.
In the past centuries, voodoo was born in the region between Abomey and Ouidah in Benin; these rituals are still practiced today and nearly 80% of the nation's population professes this religion and Benin's feticheurs are very powerful and very respected. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Voodoo priests during a festival in benin.
This can happen when asking for help or when you wish has been granted. Other parents send their children to work as domestic servants or labourers in conditions that Souleymane Diallo, the UN Children’s Education Fund representative in Benin, describes as ‘a form of modern slavery’.Diallo believes many families will pay for initiation debts by selling one or more children into bonded labour. Voodoo is more than a belief system. Voodoo Day is a public holiday and there is a national Voodoo museum. Voodoo was brought to French Louisiana during the colonial period by enslaved sub-Saharan Africans from West Africa. Voodoo was originally known as ‘vodun’ in Togo and Benin, meaning ‘the mystery’ or ‘the hidden’. In order to gain the blessings and approval of the spirits and dead ancestors, animal sacrifices, most commonly of goats, are usually involved.Followers of the Voodoo faith are known to practice animism, making the python a very sacred and thus highly worshipped creature.
Voodoo is seen as totally normal in Benin. At worst, it bankrupts and splits families, forcing them deeper into debt and destitution.One way to mitigate the worst effects of poverty is to sell children, giving them up in lieu of the costs of initiation and other ceremonies. VideoMelania Trump ex-confidante tell-all dishes on 'Princess Ivanka'Jacob Blake: Trump visits Kenosha to back police after shootingWildlife Photographer of the Year: How many crocodiles can you see?Heart of Belgian city mayor found entombed in fountainCharlie Hebdo: Magazine republishes controversial Mohammed cartoonsCoronavirus: Apple iPhones can contact-trace without Covid appZimbabwe to return land seized from foreign farmers Voodoo paraphernalia. The Voodoo Festival or the Fête du Vaudou on 10 January is a celebration of traditional religions in the West African country of Benin, the cradle of the voodoo cult.