Hounfour

The Vodou temple is called a Hounfour (also oufo, hounfor, oum'phor, houmfort), and the leader of the ceremony is a male priest called a Houngan, or a female priest called a Mambo. The term is believed to derive from the Fon houn for, "abode of spirits."[1]

At the centre of the temple, is the potomitan, a post used to contact spirits, and a highly decorated altar. There is a feast before the ceremony, and a particular pattern (a Veve) relating to the Lwa being worshiped is outlined on the temple floor.

Dancing and chanting accompanied by beats from rattles and religious drums called Tamboulas begins. One of the dancers is said to be possessed by the Lwa, enters a trance and behaves just as the Lwa would. An animal, normally a chicken, goat, sheep or pig, is sacrificed and its blood is collected. This is used to sate the hunger of the Lwa.

References
  1. "Fieldhands to Stagehands in Haiti: The Measure of Tradition in Haitian Popular Theatre". University of California, Berkeley. 30 January 1983 – via Google Books.

2. [1]

  1. Hurston, Zora Neale (2009). Tell My Horse: Voodoo and Life in Haiti and Jamaica. New York, NY: Harper Perennial Modern Classics. ISBN 978-0-06-169513-1.
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