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 Fazilla Shujaat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fazilla Shujaat. Show all posts
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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