Vodou Culture 101: Participation
This is about to be a short discussion of a big topic. There’s a lot more to know about this topic—I’m focusing on some misconceptions I’ve seen in people who want to participate from the US.
Vodou, even though it is a communal religion, is absolutely not a democracy.
Not only are some people’s participation more important than others, but you do not get the final say in your participation. You do not get to pick how you participate, what you do to participate, and how your participation is understood. This means, for instance, that no matter how interested in it you are, you don’t get to pick to be a priest. You don’t get to pick to be the person who leads the songs, carries the flags, or to become a horse of the spirits. You don’t get to say that what you do needs to be interpreted by majority culture standards, either.
You have to show up and be chosen by the spirits. Both you and the spirits both have to agree that you will commit to the kind of participation they’ve selected you to do. Every kind of participation has different responsibilities, requirements, and rules.
This means that how you or anyone else might feel about participation really does not matter. The spirits pick who they want to participate, how that person gets to participate, and what that means.
This probably goes without saying, but vodou also is not a product and a guest is not a consumer: you don’t get to have it your way. You are not someone buying an experience, you are being allowed to participate in a community activity. Not everything that happens is for you, nor does everything that happens need to involve you. You will not be the only person there other than the priest, unless you’re in a consultation.
If you are a guest (that is, not a member of the house you are visiting) there are some basic rules or principles which can help you participate:
The spirits get to dictate your participation.
The spirits get to dictate your knowledge. If you need to know something, it will be given to you.
Politeness goes a long way, especially if you don’t know what else to do.
Keep your hands to yourself and stay in the areas you’ve been told you can inhabit.
If you are being allowed to participate, even if just attending, contribute. Buy a ticket or bring money, in addition to whatever offerings you have for the spirit. Parties are extremely expensive to throw.
Obey instructions. Whatever you’ve been asked to do (in a good house) is either for your benefit or for your safety.
These are pretty basic, and you should always ask the house, but they give a foundation that can prevent other problems from occurring.
