The drumming and chanting goes on hour after hour. A goat and a small pig have their throats cut, and the blood is sprinkled over the worshippers. The animals are then thrown into a pool of brown bubbling mud. Many believers jump into the pond as well.
This is the climax of the voodoo ceremony at the Plaine Du Nord, 300 kilometres north of the Haitian capital Port-Au-Prince. Thousands of voodoo believers come each year as they all say that the saint will help them. This particular ceremony is in honour of Ogou, the spirit of fertility and the earth.
The most important part of voodoo is the actual religious ceremony. After starting out slowly, the voodooist work themselves up to a spiritual and religious frenzy, using such things as dance, music and liquor to help inspire them, but the real question is that Voodoo a religious thing or a satanic thing?? As voodoo is often charged with being fatalistic, superstitious and involving devil worship.
Voodoo, which is a mixture of Catholicism and ancient African religion. The voodoo faith holds that there is one God, the creator of the universe. Subordinate to this God are the Loas, lesser deities or saints who act as messengers between a voodoo practitioner and God. Voodoos fatalism focuses on how the Loa control the world, wealth, sickness, childbirth, rewards, punishment and many more.
Voodoo believers accept the existence of one God. Below this almighty God spirits (LOA) rule over the worlds affairs in matters of family, love, happiness, justice, wealth, and revenge. The practice of Voodoo involves the blessing of a Voodoo doll to contact the spirits directly, requesting fulfilment in love, finance career matters and many more. It is still believed that the main reason why people turn to practising voodoo or witchcraft today is because more and more people are dissatisfied with traditional religious structures and are seeking deeper, and more meaningful relationships with divinity through alternate methods.
Voodoo, which means 'Spirit Of God'. It's a system of beliefs originating in Africa. It has over 50 million followers worldwide. Voodoo flourishes in Brazil, Trinidad, Jamaica and Cuba. It is known to be one of the world's oldest known religions, which have been around in Africa since the beginning of human civilisation. Some people estimate these civilisations and religions to be over 10,000 years old.
Voodoo is a powerful mystical practice that can bring great gifts and rewards to anyone who believes in it, and who is willing to place his destiny in the hands of the spirits, who are waiting eagerly for your call.
The most popular part of Voodoo is the doll, which is used to represent the spirit of a particular person. You can talk to the doll requesting a change in attitude, influencing the person to act in accordance with your wishes. You can request the doll to call upon powerful forces and then you can perform a simple ritual to fulfil a dream and your desires.
People's perception of Voodoo rites and rituals are that its all evil or malicious, but not many people know that there are healing spells, nature spells, love spells and joyous celebration spells. Spirits can also bring harmony and peace, birth and re-birth, luck, happiness and health. For people who believe it Voodoo is powerful, it is also empowering to the person who practices it.
For anyone who is looking for a solution to a difficult problem, for someone who is trying to sort out a conflict, return a lover or become rich LOA is waiting for your call.
Contributed by: Fazilla Shujaat
Showing posts with label Art. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Art. Show all posts
Goth-Emo-Punk-Hardcore with a Twist of Pop and Adidas
The local, amateur scene seems to be a big craze in communities around the country. A large percentage of high school and college students alike are starting their own "garage bands" in hopes to one day make it to the mainstream, professional level. With the conception of so many new bands comes the goal to, somehow, create a new, unique sound in which to classify the hopeful's music, and make it more appealing to the masses. The truth, however, is not that a unique sound is created, but a new label or genre is placed on the music in an attempt to intensify the appeal.
With the interest in hardcore bands like Hatebreed, Atreyu, Bleeding Through, and a host of others on the rise, many of the fans of such bands have taken to creating their own bands with the same style. Most of the members in these amateur bands, however, will almost certainly never describe their music as simply "hardcore". We all know these people: the kids in school who are always trying to get you to come to their shows on Friday nights, always bragging about how they are so good, and are always describing their music as some mix of random genres like "emo-skate-metal" or "goth-thrash-with a bit of punk". Then, if you do go to see these bands, it sounds no different than the Shadows Fall CD you listened to on the way over.
Probably the worst description of a band's music came from that crazy white wannabe: Vanilla Ice. A few years ago, he had a rock band in which he described their genre as "Adidas Skate Rock". Adidas skate rock? Does Adidas really need its own classification of music? Furthermore, does Vanilla Ice have to be the poster boy for it? This is getting out of control.
I, personally, am all for high school and college students starting their own band as a hobby, or just something to do after work or school. I was there once. I used to have the dream of being a rock star. I am sure we all have. However, if an amateur band sounds just like every band of the same type of music, you are not going to succeed just because you call it something different.
Whatever happened to the days when music fell into only a few distinct categories like alternative, rock, metal, punk, easy listening, country, and pop? Nowadays you have an unlimited number of sub-genres attached to these. Why do we need "Adidas skate rock" and whatever other bullshit people come up with? I mean, honestly, is it really necessary? Most of the time, fans categorize their favourite bands' music into genres on their own. Sub-genres are a mask for the people who don't want to be exposed for falling on the bandwagon. In my opinion, a true artist does not have to explain his work; his work is to be explained by the public.
Contributed by: Rob Maynard
With the interest in hardcore bands like Hatebreed, Atreyu, Bleeding Through, and a host of others on the rise, many of the fans of such bands have taken to creating their own bands with the same style. Most of the members in these amateur bands, however, will almost certainly never describe their music as simply "hardcore". We all know these people: the kids in school who are always trying to get you to come to their shows on Friday nights, always bragging about how they are so good, and are always describing their music as some mix of random genres like "emo-skate-metal" or "goth-thrash-with a bit of punk". Then, if you do go to see these bands, it sounds no different than the Shadows Fall CD you listened to on the way over.
Probably the worst description of a band's music came from that crazy white wannabe: Vanilla Ice. A few years ago, he had a rock band in which he described their genre as "Adidas Skate Rock". Adidas skate rock? Does Adidas really need its own classification of music? Furthermore, does Vanilla Ice have to be the poster boy for it? This is getting out of control.
I, personally, am all for high school and college students starting their own band as a hobby, or just something to do after work or school. I was there once. I used to have the dream of being a rock star. I am sure we all have. However, if an amateur band sounds just like every band of the same type of music, you are not going to succeed just because you call it something different.
Whatever happened to the days when music fell into only a few distinct categories like alternative, rock, metal, punk, easy listening, country, and pop? Nowadays you have an unlimited number of sub-genres attached to these. Why do we need "Adidas skate rock" and whatever other bullshit people come up with? I mean, honestly, is it really necessary? Most of the time, fans categorize their favourite bands' music into genres on their own. Sub-genres are a mask for the people who don't want to be exposed for falling on the bandwagon. In my opinion, a true artist does not have to explain his work; his work is to be explained by the public.
Contributed by: Rob Maynard
Art and the Artist
Art is expression and the artiste is one gifted with the ability to express but expression is not confined to the ability of the artiste. It is the need of man to express and be understood that has brought about communication protocol like gestures and languages. An artists ability to express is none like any ordinary mans, thus setting him apart, because he has the ability to see things that not everyone can see &appreciate until they have been revealed.(there are people who have good taste and people who give them an opportunity to enjoy that taste.).
It's like there are things that "metaphorically" float in the air above our head and between us. It's an artist's ability to see these "metaphorical" things and bring them to the notice of the rest of the world. Though the people of the world need artistes to find the perfect companion when a fellow human being wont do, to take them away from this crazy world we live in for a while and to give them hope against faultless reasoning when it is uncalled for, they bind him down by forcing him to give them things that they want to hear in they want to hear them in an indirect manner by determining his success in the support they lend to him in return for that pleasure. The constant complaint of an artiste, if he chooses to complain, is that when he offers his audience something to think about, they tackle on the armour of analysis and analyse it until it dies away or dies down until it is kept alive by a few who believe in it. If he offers them something hollow, rebellious or just what they want to hear, they take it in because they like things the way they know, rather blame someone else or they'd just rather leave life's questions unanswered.
A clever artiste knows what people want and gives them exactly what they want. A true honest artiste digs out the truth and offers it up. He is a true believer in the arts. He is like in between the audience and the art. The audience needs to understand that they are ill informed when it comes to things that he can give them that are worthy taking in. If they could do what he can, he wouldn't be needed to do them but since they can't, he is there. They only have the power and the ability to stop him in his tracks and deny his discoveries from further penetrating into their lives and affecting them.
In touching hearts, souls and lives lies an artiste's success. That is where his audience can cut him off. They can choose to let their hearts, souls and lives be touched by things they choose to let it be touched by. As an amateur artiste (as I'd like to call myself), it is this that weighs heavy on my head. It needs to be understood that an art wouldn't be called an art if you could make it what you want. A true artiste is a visionary who is gifted with many a vision, which he understands better than anybody else that he can speak of, sing about, write about or describe with conviction in a manner that nobody else can.
Every art has got its folk form which almost anyone can indulge in as well as another but its true form is one which one needs to be gifted enough to be a part of. Being the key to its survival and it being almost our everyday need, we need to allow the free flow of expression and support the arts. We can never tell what it may bring us because they are so many things that we don't see. Its best we leave that up to artistes, because only they can bring them to our notice, without allowing them to work only within a certain framework. There's a huge world out there. Most of us live in our own world far from it. That's what motivates me as a songwriter. There's never a song not to write. The world is never big enough, beautiful enough or versatile enough. So many things to understand and define before you get to what's absolute
Contributed by: Sunil Noronha
It's like there are things that "metaphorically" float in the air above our head and between us. It's an artist's ability to see these "metaphorical" things and bring them to the notice of the rest of the world. Though the people of the world need artistes to find the perfect companion when a fellow human being wont do, to take them away from this crazy world we live in for a while and to give them hope against faultless reasoning when it is uncalled for, they bind him down by forcing him to give them things that they want to hear in they want to hear them in an indirect manner by determining his success in the support they lend to him in return for that pleasure. The constant complaint of an artiste, if he chooses to complain, is that when he offers his audience something to think about, they tackle on the armour of analysis and analyse it until it dies away or dies down until it is kept alive by a few who believe in it. If he offers them something hollow, rebellious or just what they want to hear, they take it in because they like things the way they know, rather blame someone else or they'd just rather leave life's questions unanswered.
A clever artiste knows what people want and gives them exactly what they want. A true honest artiste digs out the truth and offers it up. He is a true believer in the arts. He is like in between the audience and the art. The audience needs to understand that they are ill informed when it comes to things that he can give them that are worthy taking in. If they could do what he can, he wouldn't be needed to do them but since they can't, he is there. They only have the power and the ability to stop him in his tracks and deny his discoveries from further penetrating into their lives and affecting them.
In touching hearts, souls and lives lies an artiste's success. That is where his audience can cut him off. They can choose to let their hearts, souls and lives be touched by things they choose to let it be touched by. As an amateur artiste (as I'd like to call myself), it is this that weighs heavy on my head. It needs to be understood that an art wouldn't be called an art if you could make it what you want. A true artiste is a visionary who is gifted with many a vision, which he understands better than anybody else that he can speak of, sing about, write about or describe with conviction in a manner that nobody else can.
Every art has got its folk form which almost anyone can indulge in as well as another but its true form is one which one needs to be gifted enough to be a part of. Being the key to its survival and it being almost our everyday need, we need to allow the free flow of expression and support the arts. We can never tell what it may bring us because they are so many things that we don't see. Its best we leave that up to artistes, because only they can bring them to our notice, without allowing them to work only within a certain framework. There's a huge world out there. Most of us live in our own world far from it. That's what motivates me as a songwriter. There's never a song not to write. The world is never big enough, beautiful enough or versatile enough. So many things to understand and define before you get to what's absolute
Contributed by: Sunil Noronha
The Art Of Henna
Henna tattoos have a long history of use in eastern cultures, particularly in the sub continent, Arabia and North Africa, but why is henna so popular today? Some would say that it is simply a fashion trend inspired by celebrities such as Madonna, Liv Tyler, Demi Moore and Prince. Seeing Madonna with henna tattoos on her hands in her video for 'Frozen' certainly gave henna more exposure to the media. It became a much talked about style of body decoration, and as a result interest in this traditional art form was ignited, spawning a great deal of promotion on television and in glossy magazines.
One cannot wholly attribute the popularity of henna to those celebrities alone. Henna is still used in eastern cultures and it was only probably a matter of time before these practices became more accessible in today's multicultural society.
Mehndi, which is a far more traditional name for henna, celebrates the hands as a miracle of creation and a vehicle of love. It focuses our attention on the sacred nature of the hands activities. Here instrument in turn becomes canvas. From the hand to the hand the henna flows a deep red into patterns of personal meaning, defined by and redefining traditions.
Mehndi is a unique form of painting because it is not only honourable but also requires contact. Human touch, itself a medium of expression, it adds another dynamic dimension to this work.
It is a fundamental human trait to use the skin as a canvas for artistic expression. To decorate one's body is the most pertinent expression of individuality and creativity that is available, be it permanent or not.
Tattooing as an art form on the skin has been practiced for many thousands of years. Today it is constantly growing in popularity, as are all forms of body decoration and adornment, such as piercing various parts of the anatomy.
The history and origins of the use of henna are hard to trace. With centuries of migration and cultural interaction, it is difficult to determine which culture and people started using henna first. There is archaeological evidence to suggest that the ancient Egyptians used henna to colour their nails, hair and even their beards, as traces of these have been found on the nails and hair of mummified pharaohs.
Whatever the case, it is clear that henna has been used by many different cultures for many centuries.
Once the use of henna as a form of body decoration became more widespread, it developed in its cultural importance and was included in many aspects of daily, spiritual and ceremonial life. As its popularity grew so to did the diversity of designs, application methods and recipes.
Another attraction of henna tattoos is that they are temporary. You can try out different styles and designs without them being permanent or painful, unlike real tattoos.
As we all know that fashion changes rapidly, and what is in vogue today may well be out of date tomorrow. With henna you can change your designs as your taste and fashion demands.
Contributed by: Fazilla Shujaat
One cannot wholly attribute the popularity of henna to those celebrities alone. Henna is still used in eastern cultures and it was only probably a matter of time before these practices became more accessible in today's multicultural society.
Mehndi, which is a far more traditional name for henna, celebrates the hands as a miracle of creation and a vehicle of love. It focuses our attention on the sacred nature of the hands activities. Here instrument in turn becomes canvas. From the hand to the hand the henna flows a deep red into patterns of personal meaning, defined by and redefining traditions.
Mehndi is a unique form of painting because it is not only honourable but also requires contact. Human touch, itself a medium of expression, it adds another dynamic dimension to this work.
It is a fundamental human trait to use the skin as a canvas for artistic expression. To decorate one's body is the most pertinent expression of individuality and creativity that is available, be it permanent or not.
Tattooing as an art form on the skin has been practiced for many thousands of years. Today it is constantly growing in popularity, as are all forms of body decoration and adornment, such as piercing various parts of the anatomy.
The history and origins of the use of henna are hard to trace. With centuries of migration and cultural interaction, it is difficult to determine which culture and people started using henna first. There is archaeological evidence to suggest that the ancient Egyptians used henna to colour their nails, hair and even their beards, as traces of these have been found on the nails and hair of mummified pharaohs.
Whatever the case, it is clear that henna has been used by many different cultures for many centuries.
Once the use of henna as a form of body decoration became more widespread, it developed in its cultural importance and was included in many aspects of daily, spiritual and ceremonial life. As its popularity grew so to did the diversity of designs, application methods and recipes.
Another attraction of henna tattoos is that they are temporary. You can try out different styles and designs without them being permanent or painful, unlike real tattoos.
As we all know that fashion changes rapidly, and what is in vogue today may well be out of date tomorrow. With henna you can change your designs as your taste and fashion demands.
Contributed by: Fazilla Shujaat
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