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Vodou

American  
[voh-doo] / ˈvoʊ du /

noun

  1. an Afro-Caribbean religion practiced chiefly by Haitians, deriving principally from West African Vodun and containing elements borrowed from the Roman Catholic religion.


Etymology

Origin of Vodou

First recorded in 1880–85; from an Indigenous language spoken in Benin

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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Vodou has since become a key ingredient in Haiti’s rich cultural scene, inspiring music, art, writing and dance.

From Seattle Times May 9, 2024

It’s unknown how many people currently practice Vodou in Haiti, but there’s a popular saying: “Haiti is 70% Catholic, 30% Protestant and 100% Vodou.”

From Seattle Times May 9, 2024

By 2003, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, a Salesian priest who became Haiti’s first democratically elected president, recognized Vodou as one of Haiti’s official religions.

From Seattle Times May 9, 2024

Vodou began to take shape in the French colony of Saint-Domingue during funeral rituals for enslaved people and dances called “calendas” that they organized on Sunday evenings.

From Seattle Times May 9, 2024

Is it because you are a mambo—a Vodou priestess who held ceremonies in the courtyard of a Christian NGO building?

From "American Street" by Ibi Zoboi

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