Dominican Vodou Overview

Dominican Vodou – 21 Divisions

 21-divisions-ceremony
Dominican Vodou Ceremony led by Houngan Hector
Overview

Many people are confused these days. They believe
Sanse
to be Dominican Vodou. It is not. Although the Sancista does work with many of the spirits that are served within Dominican Vodou, it is
not the same
tradition and it is a different form of working with the spirits.

Some will say that Dominican Vodou is
Haitian Vodou
, just practiced in the Dominican Republic.
This is not true
. Although there are many similar Lwa in Dominican Vodou, there are many
different Lwa
. They are worked with in a different manner, and things are done differently.

In Dominican Vodou,
God
and the
Virgin Mary
are referred to often and many make petitions to them. There are Lwa within the tradition as well. Many times Dominican Vodou is also called The
21 Divisions
. In Dominican Vodou, one receives
initiations
but they serve a
different purpose
than in Haitian Vodou.

In Dominican Vodou, initiation is a ceremony that aligns the individual to their spirits and gives them “fuerza” or
power
. It empowers them to
work with
their Lwa but an uninitiated individual can do so as well. These ceremonies serve to give the individual a firmer and more stable
foundation
to work with their spirits. There are three different initiations that one may receive in this tradition.
This tradition is
similar
to Sanse, in that
the Lwa teach
their children how to do many different things. But there are some traditions and rules in Dominican Vodou that are different from Sanse, and there are some very
definite
ways to do certain things. What a Lwa is to be served is taught to the new initiate, although this information is not hard to find. Certain other rules are also followed, although this tradition does
not have as many rules
as Haitian Vodou.How one performs spiritual works (”
wangas
” which means spells) and
cleansings
is taught by the Misterios (Mysteries)
themselves
. How one does many other things, the Mysteries
teach
. There are
three
main divisions, and each of these divisions has
seven
parts, thus the
21 divisions
as three times seven, which is twenty one.

Dominican Vodou is practiced through a
Tcha Tcha lineage
(”
maraca
” – which means rattle – lineage). In
Haiti
,
Vodou
has come about and become more popular through another lineage known as the
Asson
. However,
before
the Asson, the Tcha Tcha lineage was the prominent lineage. Thus the Tcha Tcha lineage is one of the
oldest
lineages within the Vodou tradition.

Dominican Vodou practitioners are often called ”
Caballos
” but they are also known as
Papa Bokos and Papa Lwa
(both for males) and
Mama Mambos and Mama Lwa
(both for females). One who has obtained this title has gone through the last and highest level of initiation that can take anywhere between 3 to 9 days and nights.

 papa-guede-dominican-voodoo
Houngan Hector under possession
21-divisiones-ceremony
Dominican Vodou Ceremony		 To
practice
Dominican Vodou, one must be brought and called to the Tradition from an
early
age. In this manner, the Misterios start to unravel quickly. All individuals are called, however some are called at an earlier age than others and thus are able to develop within the tradition at a
faster
and more advanced rate.I was called by the Misterios at an
early
age and have received the
full baptism
of a Papa Boko within this beautiful and powerful tradition. This tradition is
rich
with much
knowledge
. After receiving my ceremonies, I mostly practiced this form of Vodou for myself, however, during the past few months, the Lwa have told me to reclaim my position as a Papa Boko and start bringing to and allowing others to experience this beautiful religion. I am, therefore,
dedicated
to bringing the
true
knowledge of this tradition to you.

If you would like to
know more about
or receive initiation ceremonies within this beautiful tradition, please
click here
to contact me.