Voodoo Speech free essay sample

What Will Be Covered Today, Im going to be talking about the roots of voodoo and what it actually is, the two types of voodoo, voodoo rituals and superstitions, and why voodoo is perceived as a negative or controversial topic. What Is Voodoo? Im sure everyone has their own perception of voodoo inside their head. Most people think includes black magic, evil spirits, and causing harm to others. However, voodoo is actually a complex tradition of faiths and beliefs that combine into an overall world full of religion and magic. It is believed to have started sometime around 1724 in Africa, Haiti specifically. Today, there are still people in parts of the United States that believe in voodoo and practice it. Voodoo embraces the entirety of human experience meaning that usually people practice it for personal purposes. The Two Types of Voodoo There are two types of voodoo: Haitian voodoo New Orleans voodoo. We will write a custom essay sample on Voodoo Speech or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Although they are similar for the most part, they do have their differences. Haitian voodoo is a pagan religion which means it involves only one God. However, voodooists believe in communication through spirits called the Loa. The Loa are similar to the Greek gods in their religion. New Orleans voodoo exists because of Haitian immigrants who have traveled to the United States and resided in the New Orleans. These immigrants have changed voodoo up a bit in order to be specific to their new location. Although voodoo is an ancient religion, 15% of New Orleans residents still participate in voodoo somehow today. Haitian Voodoo Rituals Haitian voodoo rituals are practiced for the main purpose of healing. They use herbs as remedies and believe they give off magical healing powers. Voodoo rituals often call to the Loa. There are two main families in the Loa: the Rada and the Petro. The Rada family are more kindred and kind spirited who voodooists call upon for healing, or good luck. However, the Petro family are more bitter and are called upon for moments of vengeance and rage. Animal sacrifice is another ritual. It is the practice of making holy offerings. New Orlean Voodoo Rituals New Orleans voodoo rituals differ from those of Haitian voodoo because of their emphasis on voodoo queens, gris-gris, superstitions and spells. Voodoo queens were central figures to voodoo in the United States. They looked over ceremonial meetings and ritual dance while also obtaining income by making charms, amulets and magical powders that were guaranteed to have special healing powers. The most legendary voodoo queen was Marie Laveau because of her special powers and ability to do exorcisms. She quickly overthrew the other voodoo queens of New Orleans. Gris-Gris is a voodoo amulet which is believed to protect whomever wears it from evil and will provide them with good luck. New Orleans voodoo is also known for their superstitions, however, they arent central to the actual faith. These superstitions are just resulted from ancient Louisana voodoo tradition and have influenced the faith. Why is Voodoo shown in a Negative Light? Im sure before I talked about voodoo, you expected something totally different. I, myself, thought voodoo was actually all about black magic and evil spirits. However, voodoo is not actually negative. When the early Haitian slaves came over to different parts of the world, they also brought over their faith. However, because they were black and their religion was not recognized, it was prejudged as evil. The priests were known as witchdoctors, the Loa were thought to be evil when in reality, the faith is not too different from any other religion out there. Also, because voodoo still has negative connotations, Hollywood puts out negative images of voodoo in movies, shows, and even music because they dont fully understand the real definition. Conclusion To go back to what was already said, voodoo is an actual tradition combined with religion and magic. It is an actual religion that in some parts of the world is practiced today. The two types of voodoo are Haitian voodoo and New Orleans voodoo and Ive already mentioned their similarities and differences. So now that you understand what voodoo really is you no longer have to be scared of it or find it creepy. Its just a religion. Now you can go out and discover new faiths, religions or traditions that you dont really know much about. Maybe it will become important to you someday.