Voodoo
The Deities and Rituals
In Anna Riva's words:
Voodoo (Hoodoo, santeria, macumba, etc.) has millions of believers all over the world. It is the national, though secretly practiced, religion of Haiti. While most Haitians today are Catholic, voodoo is practiced simultaneously by a large majority of the population. Voodoo ritual borrows heavily from Catholic services, including an altar covered with candles and surrounded by pictures of saints and the use of holy water which is sprinkled over worshipers by means of a leafy branch.
The mythology, folklore, chants and remedies of voodoo are handed down from generation to generation.
Voodoo was brought from Africa to Haiti by the enslaved, and has proved to be a constant source of comfort and hope to them.
Christianity has no magic words, no power to destroy one's enemies, no evil fetishes, no promises of protection, and no cures for illness or disease.
Is it any wonder then at the vast popularity of Voodoo's magical power and the eternal quest for solutions to mysterious forces?