Because of the religious syncretism between Catholicism and Vodou,
it is difficult to estimate the number of Vodouists in Haiti. Vodou practitioners believe that if they obey all taboos
imposed by their loa and offer proper sacrifices, their loa will come to them
whenever they call. Haitian Vodouists who
adopt the Catholic faith transfer their spiritual understanding of the loa onto
to their understanding of the Catholic saints.
Rather than letting go of their old traditions when they convert, they
simply choose images and ideas from their new faith and add them to the beliefs
they already hold about the spiritual realm.
For example, Haitian understanding of the sacrifice of Christ on the
Cross and the daily sacrifice of the Mass are intermingled with their Vodou
understanding of sacrifice. "The
intent and emphasis of sacrifice is not upon the death of the animal, it is
upon the transfusion of its life to the loa; for the understanding is that
flesh and blood are of the essence of life and vigor, and these will restore
the divine energy of the god." Thus the Haitian understanding of the Black Madonna, Our Lady of Perpetual Help is mixed into their understanding of the loa. In a rural Haitian household one might typically find one or
more tables set out for the ancestors, spirits and saints that the family serves
with pictures or statues, perfumes, foods, and other things believed to show
them honor. Catholic devotion to Blessed
Mother is often mixed into this ancient devotional practice in a way that
causes concern to those trying to promote true devotion to Mary and the
Catholic saints. Catholic prayer to Our
Father and the Hail Mary prayer are commonly used to salute the ancestral
spirits along with the loa and the saints on days dedicated them.
