For centuries Haitians have practiced Vodou – a religion that is often misunderstood, misrepresented, and stigmatized. Voodoo evolved in the 17th century among African slaves and incorporates elements of the Roman Catholic faith that was forced upon them by French colonizers and transported to colonial Saint-Domingue (as Haiti was known then).
Vodou practitioners create devotional objects and participate in ceremonies with traditional drumming songs, dance, and spirit possession. Peristyles are a rendezvous for Vodou priests (oungans) and priestesses (mambos) to pay tribute to spirits, Lwas”, that they serve as well as a gathering point for strengthening cultural bonds.