The city of New Orleans has been a melting pot of races, religions, ethnicities, and cultures long before the United States was even a country. One famous byproduct of this mixing of cultures is Voodoo. While presented in a dark light, often including vengeful witches poking dolls of their enemies with pins on pop culture movies and television shows, voodoo is a diverse religion that mixes Haitian, African, and Catholic religions into a spiritual sect that is uniquely New Orleans. Want to learn more about New Orleans voodoo for yourself? Contact Joieful and book your voodoo walking tour today!

Voodoo as a Unifying Force

The origins of voodoo are muddled, though most agree that it came about from the enslaved Africans sent to work the Louisiana plantations. Coming from various parts of Africa, these laborers did not share the same language or culture with one another. They found commonality in their religious beliefs. Mixing their different African rituals and beliefs together created a new spirituality unique to them. Believers mixed in some of the French Catholicism predominant in New Orleans, bringing even more of the city into the sect.

Marie Laveau the Voodoo Queen

Possibly the most famous icon of this religions is the Voodoo Queen herself, Marie Laveau. Born a free woman of color in New Orleans, Marie Laveau was granted more opportunities than other women of her race during the 1800s. She used her freedom and influence to bring the masses of New Orleans to Voodoo, performing spiritual rites for every race, creed, and culture in the city. The rich, poor, Black, white, and politicians alike flocked to Marie Laveau for guidance and prayers. Her final resting place is still a famous site for locals and tourists to visit, make offerings, and seek advice from the Voodoo Queen.

There are many tours in New Orleans that center around voodoo and the unique culture this great city has to offer. Choose your favorite experience with Joieful and book now. We’ll make sure to tell Marie you’ll be stopping by!

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