Is Benin known for voodoo?
Voodoo is completely normal in Benin. People across West Africa, especially Togo, Ghana and Nigeria hold similar beliefs but in Benin it is recognised as an official religion, followed by some 40% of the population. Voodoo Day is a public holiday and there is a national Voodoo museum.
What country is most known for voodoo?
Haitian Vodou
- Haitian Vodou is an African diasporic religion that developed in Haiti between the 16th and 19th centuries.
- Vodou revolves around spirits known as lwa.
- Vodou developed among Afro-Haitian communities amid the Atlantic slave trade of the 16th to 19th centuries.
What is Zangbeto in Benin?
Zangbeto are the traditional voodoo guardians of the night among the Ogu or Egun people of Benin, Togo and Nigeria. A traditional police and security institution, the Zangbeto cult is charged with the maintenance of law and order, and ensures safety and security wigu communities.
What African country practices voodoo?
Vodun is an ancient religion practiced by some 30 million people in the West African nations of Benin, Togo and Ghana. With its countless deities, animal sacrifice and spirit possession, voodoo — as it’s known to the rest of the world — is one of the most misunderstood religions on the globe.
What is Benin religion?
According to the 2013 census, 48.5 percent of the population is Christian, 27.7 percent is Muslim (mostly Sunni), 11.6 percent practice Voodoo, 2.6 percent are members of indigenous religious groups, 2.6 percent are members of other religious groups, and 5.8 percent declare no religious affiliation.
What is the voodoo capital of the world?
New Orleans
New Orleans Voodoo is also known as Voodoo-Catholicism. It is a religion connected to nature, spirits, and ancestors. Voodoo was bolstered when followers fleeing Haiti after the 1791 slave revolt moved to New Orleans and grew as many free people of color made its practice an important part of their culture.
Is Benin poor?
Though Benin has a relatively stable democratic government, it remains one of the poorest countries in Africa. Benin’s economy is vulnerable not only because it is based primarily on agriculture but also because re-export trade with Nigeria makes up roughly 20 percent of its GDP.
Where to watch a voodoo ceremony in Benin?
Benin Voodoo: watching a ceremony at the House of the Python and the Point of No Return, where slaves departed for the New World. Benin Voodoo: watching a ceremony at the House of the Python and the Point of No Return, where slaves departed for the New World. Skip to content Menu Inspiration and links to plan your trip. Home GoNOMAD Travel Articles
Where did the origin of Voodoo come from?
Pythons, preserved skulls and Voodoo ceremonies drew us from Ghana to Benin, the birthplace of Voodoo. These fetish origins of worship predate many religions by 10,000 years and keep a link of ancestry alive in West Africa. While exploring the Cape Coast area of Ghana, we met Apollo, a man with a family history in Benin.
How are Vodun talismans used in voodoo rituals?
Vodun talismans (statues, human and animal body parts), called fetishes, are often combined in the construction of shrines or altars used to call forth specific deities and their associated powers. These shrines often ooze with candle wax, palm oil, feathers and the blood of sacrificed animals.
Is there a python temple in Ouidah Benin?
The Python Temple in Ouidah sits, incongruously, across the road from a large Catholic church, but, as we’ve learned already, worshippers probably go from one to the other with no qualms whatsoever! The temple is home to around 45 pythons who appear to have been drugged to keep them sleepy.