Tag: lwa

Your First Vodou Party: Do’s and Don’ts

Bonswa, everyone; it’s your friend Manbo Mary. Today we’re going to talk about Vodou parties, or “fets”, as they’re called in Kreyol.

A fet is simply a party for one or more spirits, or lwa. Each Vodou sosyete has several fets per year, but each house may have different spirits that they honor. In my house, Sosyete Nago, we have about 3 fets per year: one in March for Papa Damballah, one in May for Kouzen, and one in November for Gede. This is for us in Boston. Our brothers and sisters in Haiti will have a couple more fets than we do. Sometimes we’ll add a fet to our schedule up here; it really depends on time.

Let’s say you’ve been learning about Vodou. You’ve gotten to know a Haitian person and/or someone affiliated with a house. You may politely enquire as to when a fet will next happen. So you get invited. Woohoo!

Now what?

Here are some guidelines for being a good guest at a fet and to help you get invited back J

 

DO’S

  1. Wheaton’s Law is the first thing to remember: Don’t be a dick. If you were going to a non-Vodou party at someone’s house, you wouldn’t act like a dick, now would you?

 

  1. Find out the time to arrive. Haitians tend to be flexible with time. If they tell you to show up at 9pm, the party won’t probably start till around 11pm. Still, try to be there as close to the time they give you.

 

  1. Dress appropriately, for the love of God. You are not going to the club to sip some bub. This is a religious ceremony. You don’t have to wear a suit or anything like that, but looking nice and dressing a bit conservatively shows that you have respect. If you can wear all white, that’s great. If you don’t have white clothes, don’t stress. Just wear something other than black or purple (unless you’re going to Fet Gede, where those colors are appropriate). Ladies, it’s not required that you cover your hair but it is an additional mark of respect. Bring a headscarf and we’ll show you how to tie it if you don’t already know.

 

  1. Get someone to introduce you to the head manbo or houngan. Thank them for allowing you to attend their party. Again, it’s about respect.

 

  1. Bring a little something. You don’t have to spend a lot of money. You could give $20 to help pay the drummers. You could bring a bottle of rum for the table. You could bring a bit of fruit (any kind is acceptable EXCEPT lemons or limes). Again, it’s not required that you bring something, but it’s a nice gesture and if it’s your first time in this community, it will establish your reputation.

 

  1. Turn off your cell phones/pagers/little electronic doo-dads during the opening prayer! The opening prayer, or “priye Ginen”, takes about an hour to complete and someone’s cell phone going off playing “Anaconda” as the ringtone will not help the mood.

 

  1. If you are menstruating, or have an open wound, try to stay away from the altar during the first half of the party. It’s not that blood is “impure” but some of the Rada spirits (who are saluted in the first part of the party) don’t like the smell of blood. Also, in the same vein, avoid sexual activity 24 hours prior to coming to a fet.

 

  1. Just enjoy the experience. It will be very different from any party you’ve ever been to, but we’re there to worship and enjoy the spirits. It’s supposed to be fun!

 

 

And now for the DON’TS:

 

  1. Don’t bring along extra people without asking the priest or priestess. Always ask first.
  2. Don’t take pictures or video without asking first. Some people in the community are not “out” about Vodou to their family, friends, or employers. It wouldn’t be good to have someone get in trouble because your pics wound up on Facebook.
  3. Don’t come stoned or drunk. Seriously, I’ve seen this happen. You won’t be able to control your actions and you’ll behave badly which will make you a dick, and you remember Wheaton’s Law, right?
  4. Don’t use drugs or smoke cigs during the party. If you have to smoke, do so outside. Some of our spirits don’t like smoke.
  5. Do NOT get in the way of any possessions that may occur. The first time you see a possession, it may scare you. That’s OK. You can just watch. But don’t try to stop one or touch the horse (the person being possessed).
  6. If a spirit comes to you and wants to speak, do NOT be disrespectful. Flag someone in the house down to translate for you; the spirits speak Kreyol when they come. The spirit may give you advice or warnings. After the party, you can discuss this with any of the priests/priestesses of the house.
  7. Don’t touch any of the food on the table until you’ve been given permission to do so. We set out food for the spirits for them to feed off the spiritual energy. After the party is over, usually we can eat the food and it’s OK. But during the party, it’s a huge no-no to touch it.

Follow these guidelines and I guarantee you’ll have a safe and memorable time!

Get to Know a Lwa: Papa Damballah

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! While those of Irish descent (and I’m included in that category) celebrate today by drinking green beer and wearing shamrocks (I am currently wearing shamrock earrings that have flashing lights), Vodouisants are also celebrating one of the most beloved lwa in Vodou: Papa Damballah.

 

Snakes and their worship were very important to the people of west Africa, such as the Fon and Dahomey. Temples to snake gods still exist there and large pythons gracefully glide through them and worshippers come to ask for protection and prosperity.

Keep in mind that every lwa belongs to a family or “nachon” (nation). My manmi says that every lwa has seven spirits standing behind it. There is more than one Damballah and they all have different names: Damballah Wedo, Damballah le Flambeau, and so forth. The Damballah that is most well-known and served in the Rada rite is Damballah Wedo.

Damballah is ancient; some say he was the very first lwa that God created. The saint with which he is associated is St. Patrick of Ireland.

Saint%20Patrick%20pic

The picture is of an old white man in green garments with snakes at his feet. St. Patrick was pictured as a wise old man, so he became associated with the wise old lwa Damballah.

In some houses a picture of Moses is used.

Moses is another old white man with great wisdom. It’s easy to see how he could become equated with Papa Damballah.

Damballah’s feast day is on or around March 17. My house, Sosyete Nago, had his party this past weekend. It was a beautiful event: my brother Houngan Matt was in charge of decorating the altar in green and white, Damballah’s colors. Often at our fetes, we set a second table for a lwa that is closely associated with the main lwa being honored. For example, in the last few years we’ve set a table for Damballah’s wives, Ezili Freda and La Sirene (his main wife, the one he’s most associated with, is Ayida Wedo, who represents the rainbow). However, this year Damballah made it clear to Manmi and other house members that he wanted this party to be for him alone. The whole altar was just for him.

We did decorate the Poteau mitan (the pole which signifies the way in which the lwa arrive at ceremonies) in yellow and green. These are the colors of Papa Loko, the lwa of priesthood. His feast day is March 19, so it’s common for Papa Damballah’s fet to include Loko as well.

Damballah’s colors are green and white, like I said before. His preferred drink is orgeat syrup, a thick white almond flavored syrup that’s used in coffee shops to flavor your latte. Damballah does not like alcohol. His preferred food is two white eggs set on a saucer with some white flour. White birds such as chickens can be sacrificed to him, but they aren’t killed in front of him because he doesn’t like the smell of blood. In fact, if you are a menstruating woman or have an open wound you shouldn’t approach Damballah or touch his things.

When he comes in possession, Damballah Wedo slithers on the floor like a snake. We cover him in a clean white sheet for his privacy. People will use their little fingers to grasp his little fingers in salute. We also give him his eggs and syrup, which he will eat and drink without using his hands. For our fete, we got him a rocking chair to sit in. Manmi does that sometimes when she has fetes in Haiti; it’s more comfortable for Damballah and he’ll stay longer than if he was on the floor.

Damballah doesn’t speak when he comes in possession. He will speak out loud in dreams (he has for me several times).

He is one of the most commonly married spirits in Haitian Vodou; women come to him for protection, wealth, and cleansing.

Papa Damballah has done so much for me. He is my husband and protector and he works to keep my head calm and cool (not an easy task! *grin*)

Ayibobo, Papa Damballah!