Voodoo is a religion that is very strange to many people. For Westerners of Christian influence, it is associated with witchcraft and the devil; but for Haitians, Jamaicans, New Orleans natives, Africans and others around the world, it is a religion that is very much a part of their everyday life.

Hollywood horror films have made zombies famous. Zombies can be considered “the walking dead.” The Voodoo zombies, however, are dead people who have been summoned by a Voodoo priest who then controls the Zombie, but this can hardly be considered a real practice. Instead, Voodoo practitioners use spells and special word chants, to help influence the life of others, for good or bad.

There are many rituals in Voodoo. In these rituals, they make animal sacrifices and use animal blood, and they dance wildly to beating drums. Another important aspect of Voodoo is their belief in spirits and spiritual possession. These spirits sometimes have special powers. Through certain rituals, a person can invite powerful spirits to possess their body.

A wedding ceremony is a good example of Voodoo practice. In a New Orleans style wedding, the wedding couple jumps over a broom which is then presented to them by the priest or priestess.

The priest or priestess makes a special bag and puts things inside it that belong to the couple, like fingernails and hair, and then blesses the bag for good fortune and gives it to the couple. The couples join hands and then a snake coils around their hands as a symbol of spiritual binding. Then the bride does a special snake dance and sometimes becomes possessed by a special spirit. An animal sacrifice might be made at some weddings.

Voodoo dolls are also a special part of the wedding ceremony. Two dolls are made which represent the bride and the groom. People come by and place pins in the dolls and make happy wishes for the couple. Pins are inserted in the groom’s pockets, to wish him wealth, the bride’s feet, as a wish for a firm marriage foundation, and in the dolls’ hearts to ensure a long lasting love. But the most popular location for pins on both dolls appears to be the groin region filled with wishes for many happy children.

As a couple, you only let friends and family whom you trust stick pins in the dolls, because if someone with bad intentions puts a pin in either of the dolls, it can bring bad luck and misfortune. In return, the couples also give out Voodoo dolls to the guests.