Nachon
A nachon ( Creole for nation ), also written Nasyon or Nanchon , is a group of loa , spirit beings in Haitian voodoo .
The three nachons
There are three nachons in Haitian voodoo: Rada, Petro and Ghede. Loa with opposing aspects can belong to the Rada and the Petro at the same time, as is the case with Agwe , Erzulie and Simbi Andezo, for example . Here the Nachon indicates the aspect of the respective Loa that is invoked in the individual case.
Rada
The Rada is the totality of all benevolent and peaceful loa.
This nation includes Ayida , Ayizan , Damballah , Filomez , Legba and Loco .
The Rada cult originated in the Kingdom of Dahomey and is an old form of worship in Voodoo. Rada priests are known as houngans , priestesses as mambos .
According to European terminology, it belongs to white magic .
Petro
The Petro is the totality of all destructive and warlike loa.
The Petro includes the Loa Kalfu , Marinette , Ogoun and Ti-Jean-Petro .
Their cult began during colonialism in Haiti and is associated with the liberation of slaves during the Haitian Revolution , which is a new form of loa worship. The most radical movement within the Petro cult is the Bizango. Petro and Bizango priests are called bocore , mambos can serve all three nations.
In African voodoo, two groups of loa existed, called Congo (like Congo Savanne ) and Ibo (like Ibo Lele ), which were similar to the Petro-Loa. In Haiti they are considered groups of downright cruel loa within the Petro-Nachon.
Ghede
The Ghede is the totality of all Loa entrusted with birth and death as well as with topics of ancestor worship .
These include, for example, the Loa Azacca , Linto , Maman Brigitte ( Brijid in Creole ) and Baron Samedi ( Bawon Samdi in Creole ), who is sometimes referred to as Ghede. In this case the name does not stand for a group of loa, but is the proper name of the highest among them as pars pro toto .
The Ghede is the subject of an older form of the Loa cult, which was already practiced by the Yoruba in what is now Benin and Nigeria . The Ghede-Loa are worshiped and invoked by both houngans and bocoren and mambos of white and black magic .
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ Papa Nemo: The Way of Voodoo. Edition Esoterick 2014. ISBN 978-3936830019 , excerpt from Google Books
- ↑ a b c Jan Chatland: Descriptions of Various Loa of Voodoo . Webster University , Spring 1990
- ↑ voodoo.de: Voodoo and his loas . ( Memento of the original from May 6, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. October 8, 2010
- ^ Bob Corbett: Introduction to Voodoo in Haiti . Webster University , March 1988
- ^ Jamie S. Scott: And the Birds Began to Sing: Religion and Literature in Post-colonial Cultures . P. 231 f., At Google Books . ISBN 978-9051839678
