Voodoo by Les Stone

Voodoo by Les Stone (Digital Journalist, November 2007). "...The ceremony begins with a Roman Catholic prayer. Then three drummers begin to play syncopated rhythms. The attendees begin to dance around a tree in the center of the yard, moving faster and harder with the rising pulse of the beat. The priest draws sacred symbols in the dust with cornmeal and rum poured on the ground to honor the spirits.
One woman falls to the ground, convulsing for a moment before she is helped back to her feet. She resumes the dance, moving differently now, and continues dancing for hours. It is perhaps no longer she who is dancing. She is in a trance, apparently possessed by Erzusle, the great mother spirit. It is an honor to be entered and "ridden" by a Loa, or spirit. In Haiti these rituals are commonplace. Voodoo is the dominant religion. More Works by Les Stone at his personal site.