Vodou is an oral tradition performed by extended families who inherit familial spirits from their elders as well as the essential devotional activities.

In the towns, more formal "societies" or "congregations" (sosyete) are made up of local hierarchies of priestesses or priests (manbo and oungan), "children of the spirits" (ounsi), and ceremonial drummers (ountgi).

There are some geographical differences in ritual practice in Haiti, and branches of the religion include Rada, Daome, Ibo, Nago, Dereal, Manding, Petwo, and Kongo. There is no centralized hierarchy, no one leader, and no official spokesperson, but numerous groups attempt to build such formal structures from time to time.

There are other secret societies, such as Bizango or Sanpwèl, that have religious and legal functions. Knowledge is passed on in these congregations through an initiation ritual (kanzo), in which the body becomes the site of spiritual transformation.

Vodou is a worldview that encompasses philosophy, medicine, justice, and religion. Its primary idea is that everything is spirit. Humans are spirits who live in the visible world. The unseen world is occupied by lwa (spirits), mystè (mysteries), anvizib (the invisibles), zanj (angels), and the spirits of ancestors and the recently deceased.

All of these spirits are thought to reside in the mythical realm of Ginen, a cosmic "Africa". The major objective and action of Vodou is to sevi lwa ("serve the spirits"), to offer prayers and execute other devotional ceremonies directed towards God and specific spirits in exchange for health, protection, and favor.

The popular image of Vodouisants putting pins into Voodoo dolls is not representative of real Vodou. Vodouisants, on the other hand, consecrate dolls to certain lwa and use them to attract a lwa's influence.

Vodou is fundamentally a monotheistic religion that recognizes a single and supreme spiritual being or God known as Mawu-Lisa among the Fon, Olorun among the Yoruba, and Bondye or Gran Met in Haiti. Vodou is a practice that is largely practiced in Haiti, New Orleans, and other Caribbean regions, and it serves as a source of national identity and pride.

Vodou is also known as Vodun, Voodoo, Vodoun, and several other names. The Haitian Creole word Vodou is derived from Vodun, a word from modern-day Benin's Fon language that signifies enigmatic, invisible powers that intervene in human events. It is a syncretic religion that combines Roman Catholicism and traditional African religion, particularly that of the Dahomey region of West Africa (the modern-day nation of Benin).

If a Vodou practitioner claims to be Christian, he usually claims to be a Catholic Christian. Many Vodou practitioners identify as Catholics as well. Some people believe that saints and spirits are the same thing. Others continue to believe that Catholic adornments are purely for show.

Vodou is a sophisticated system of knowledge that has nothing to do with simplistic and incorrect imagery such as inserting pins into dolls, laying a hex on an adversary, or turning innocents into zombies. It is a structured kind of communal support that gives meaning to the human experience in relation to the natural and supernatural elements of the universe.

Vodou has been heavily connected with devil worship, torture, cannibalism, and wicked magical workings in popular culture. This is primarily due to Hollywood as well as historical misrepresentations and misconceptions of the faith.

The seeds of these fallacies were planted much earlier than anything seen in the movies. A well-known episode in 1791 at Bois Caiman was a watershed moment in Haitian slave insurrection. The precise circumstances and intent are a topic of historical controversy.

Witnesses saw a Vodou ceremony and assumed the participants were striking some sort of agreement with the Devil to thwart their captors. Some argue that the deal has cursed the Haitian people in perpetuity, even as recently as 2010, following the horrific earthquake.

Slavery was very harsh and savage in Vodou-influenced countries such as Haiti, and slave revolts were equally violent. All of this caused European settlers to equate the faith with violence, and it also contributed to the spread of many false myths about Vodouisants.

The religion of Vodou is monotheistic. Vodou practitioners are known by a variety of names, including Vodouists, Vodouisants, Vodouwizans, and Serviteurs.

The followers of Vodou believe in a single, supreme godhead, which might be equated with the Catholic God. Bondye, which means "the good god", is the name of this divinity. Bondye is the creator god of the Vodou religion, and the lwa (loa) are his servants. The Lwa act as go-betweens for man and Bondye, whose presence is much beyond human knowledge.

Bondye is essentially unknown to people and does not interfere in mortal matters. For direct relationships with humans, he employs the Iwa, spirits that engage with the Vodouisants. Therefore, spiritual activity is done with the LWA instead. The Lwa are spirits who act as go-betweens between man and Bondye. Vodou is a part of everyday existence, and the Lwa wander among the living.

Each lwa has sovereignty over a specific domain, and the Vodouisants make offerings to them in exchange for a favor. The laws are classified into nanchons, or families, based on shared qualities or functions. Vodouisants believe in rites performed to gain protection from the Lwa.

Humans and LWA have a mutually beneficial relationship. In exchange for their assistance, believers donate food and other commodities that appeal to the LWA.

During ceremonies, the lwa are frequently invited to possess a believer by Vodou mambos or oungan so that the community can engage with them directly. Each LWA has a unique set of requirements that must be completed before they may give petitioners favors.

Vilokan is the residence of both the LWA and the deceased. It is usually referred to as a submerged and forested island. It is guarded by the Lwa Legba, who must be appeased before practitioners can converse with any other Vilokan citizen.

Despite the fact that Vodouisants lack a structured theology that dictates how to practice Vodou, Haitian Vodou rites are crucial ceremonies for the faith. Rituals will differ from place to place, but many themes will remain consistent.

Haitian Vodou rituals might take the form of individual house ceremonies or big communal festivities. The ceremonies are carried out and led by an Oungan, a male priestess, and a Manbo, a female priestess.

These religious leaders direct the dancing and chanting during communal rites, and it is believed that they are bestowed with their title after being visited by a lwa.

During religious rites, believers may enter a trancelike state in which they may eat and drink, perform stylized dances, give supernaturally inspired advice to people, or perform medical cures or special physical feats; these acts demonstrate the incarnate presence of the lwa within the entranced devotee.

Appealing to the lwa, or spirits, and inviting them to briefly take possession of (or "ride") human bodies so that they might communicate directly with believers are frequent Vodou religious activities. Drumming, singing, dancing, and the drawing of symbols known as veves (vevers) are common elements of the ceremonies.

Vodou ritual action aims to refine and restore balance and vitality in connections between people and between people and the spirits of the unseen world. A ceremonial dance will take place, complete with elaborate masks or face paint. Drums, in particular, will be used to draw the LWA's attention. The ritual attempts to win possession from the lwa as well as favor or protection from the spirits.

Spirit possession, a key part of Vodou worship, is important in Afro-HHaitian religion, as it is in many other religions around the world. Possession is one of the religion's least understood aspects. Possession confirms both the LWA and the community. Possession, on the other hand, is a moment when the lwa connect in a physical way with humans, who obtain answers to critical questions during such times.

Papa Legba is the guardian spirit who facilitates connection between the lwa and the devout, according to folklore. By allowing the LWA to pass, he has influence over whether or not a possession occurs.

Papa Legpa is traditionally depicted in the Vodou religion as a feeble old guy clad in rags and smoking a pipe. He walks with a cane since it is believed that he exists in two worlds at the same time: the spiritual and the mortal.

Veves are Haitian Vodou symbols. Each LWA has its own symbol, and some have several symbols associated with them. Rituals typically involve the painting of special symbols known as veves. Veves are drawn on the ground with cornmeal, sand, or other powdery things and destroyed throughout the rite.

The veve utilized in a ceremony is determined by the lwa whose presence is requested. The names of the lwa as well as the designs of the veve differ according to local customs. However, several vegetables frequently share elements. Damballah-WWedo, for example, is a serpent god; hence, his veves frequently feature two snakes.

Participants will provide food for the LWA, including animal sacrifices. Depending on the lwa being addressed, a variety of animals may be killed during a Vodou rite. Animal sacrifices are frequently cooked and served as part of a community meal. It offers spiritual sustenance for the LWA. After the gods have had their fill, the faithful can dine. Food plays an important role in this religion and its sense of community.

The calendar of ritual feasts is syncretized with the Roman Catholic calendar. Important lwa are celebrated on saints' days. For example, Ogou on St. James' Day, July 25; Ezili Danto on the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, July 16; Danbala on St. Patrick's Day, March 17; and the spirits of the ancestors on All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day, November 1 and November 2.

Throughout the year, many more familial feasts (for the sacred children, the destitute, and specific ancestors) as well as initiations and burial ceremonies take place.

Marie Laveau (1794–1881), a legendary practitioner buried in St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, was the most famous Vodou queen. She was a fervent Catholic who went to St. Louis Cathedral for Mass. She encouraged others to do the same. She lived on St. Ann Street in the French Quarter, where numerous people stopped to ask for her assistance at all hours of the day and night.

During the yellow fever pandemic, she was a free lady of color who adopted children, fed the hungry, and cared for the sick. She had a reputation for assisting enslaved servants and their escapees. Politicians, attorneys, and business leaders are believed to have sought her advice before making financial or business decisions.

Her residence was decorated with candles, saint statues, shrines, and other objects to ward off spirits. Nickels, paper flowers, and other donations can still be found on her tomb today. Stay in the Marie Laveau Annex of the Inn on St. Ann, the Creole Cottage she truly owned.

Dr. John, often known as Bayou John, was perhaps one of New Orleans' most famous voodoo monarchs. He was born in Senegal and was taken as a slave and brought to Cuba. He subsequently moved to New Orleans as a cotton roller and became involved in the local voodoo community. He bought land on Bayou Road and became regarded as an excellent Vodou healer and fortune teller. Marie Laveau had him as a teacher.