Great Voodoo Festival

This is the month for the Benin Voodoo Festival,    

Every year in the village of Glidji, 30 miles from Togo's capital city of Lome, members of the Guen tribe gather together for the Epe Ekpe festival -- part family reunion, part New Year's Eve, part religious worship. This is a time of togetherness of worship, revival, love, and pride of ethnicity and culture.


Many people hear the word voodoo and automatically become frightened. When in actuality there is nothing to fear, Vodun is an ancient religion practiced by some 80 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. Therefore, let me give you a brief synopsis of Vodun as you take this journey into understanding I hope you become enlightened. 


 History
Voodoo is a religion that was brought to the Western coasts by slaves from Africa.  Voodoo can be spelled several ways: vodun, vaudin, voudoun, vodou, and vaudoux. It is an ancient religion practiced by 80 million people worldwide and is growing in numbers. 


The Beliefs
Voodoo belief recognizes one Supreme Being who created the universe, but who is too far away for a personal relationship with its worshippers. Therefore, the cult followers serve the loa or lesser deities to gain guidance for their lives. The loa are the spirits of ancestors, animals, natural forces, and the spirits of good and evil. 

This is a beginning of a new year and as always as you begin a new year this is a time to give thanks to the ancestors and Benin goes all out and people from all over the world come out to celebrate. It is to early to post the 2012 video of the Great Festival so I am providing a link for you to explain the voodun history further I hope you find it interesting and enlightening 


The Essence of Voodoo

http://www.africanholocaust.net/news_ah/vodoo.htm
I am also providing a youtube link to give you an example of dances and drumming that provide an insight into a yearly revival and that revival unbeknown to some this religion and revival has spread across America, Haiti, Brazil, and Cuba. I myself am amazed to see dancing and drumming of this nature in many Baptist churches throughout the United States this goes to show that a body may die but the spirit lives on. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdNPg4frZR4