Photographer Journal: vodou

Thursday, January 31, 2019

Trees are the earth's lifeblood and ancient cultures were wise to recognize this

A man and his wife sit under a mapou tree while participating in a vodou celebration in Souvenance, Gonaives. Trees are the earth's lifeblood and ancient cultures were wise to recognize this. To this day, many indegenous cultures worship trees or one specific tree."These people will never be conquered again, they will be exploited, they will be downtrodden, they will be impoverished - but you can tell not a single Haitian walks around with his head down... They're more human than the people who enslaved them. They were better than their masters, able to live in another realm. There's no other more articulate response to oppression than that. And that's why Vodou is here - because Vodou is the soul of the Haitian people" Ira lowenthal

Sunday, December 17, 2017

Kanzo ceremony–Initiation into Haitian Vodou

Kanzo is the name for the initiation ceremony within the Vodou tradition. It is a sacrament, and considered to be one of the most sacred events in a Vodouisant’s life. ezilikonnen.com - Initiation into the Asson lineage of Vodou tradition is a long process. It takes nearly two weeks to complete. Traditionally, initiation into the Vodou Tradition is done in Haiti. Following the dance ceremony, the initiates are finally Kanzo. They have new identities as Houngans, Mambos, or Hounsis. They need to complete 41 days of restrictions to be truly finished with the kanzo ceremony. Usually, about a year later, the initiates will “dessan kolye” which means to take down the kolyes, which will truly finalize the entire cycle of initiation. The kolye is the sacred necklace of initiation. vodoureligion.com