Story / Phil Gomez
Photographs / Rory Alvarez
Rising up a Latino Catholic schoolboy, a world the place the phrase “Voodoo” was one thing demonized, and strictly off-limits. So, when the invite hit my inbox for New Orleans Worldwide Vodou Day, my inside Scorpio went right into a full-blown existential disaster. One half of me was clutching my metaphorical rosary, whereas the opposite was wildly seduced by the thriller. I’d spent years resisting the Large Straightforward; as somebody hyper delicate to energies, I feared the town’s heavy historical past could be a haunted home I’d by no means fairly escape. However let’s be actual: when Kelly Cutrone invitations you on a non secular odyssey, you pack your baggage, and say YES.
Armed with palo santo and an inventory of suggestions from my favourite Disco Witch and NOLA devotee LEXXE, I descended upon the crescent metropolis. From the second we touched down, the humidity felt like a welcoming embrace. We checked into the Resort One11, a quaint sanctuary completely perched within the French Quarter. After an early flight, the primary order of enterprise was a pilgrimage to the Napoleon Home for a Muffuletta. One chunk of that quintessential New Orleans sandwich and the town didn’t simply win my coronary heart it claimed it.
Buzzing from a Pimm’s Cup, I surrendered to the visible decadence of the French Quarter. Getting misplaced in these centuries outdated streets felt surprisingly grounding. The “scary” ghosts I’d spent a lifetime fearing? Nowhere to be discovered. As an alternative, the air was thick with a peaceable, comforting vibration of jazz music. It didn’t really feel international; it felt like a homecoming I didn’t know I used to be allowed to have.
That night, the vibe shifted from private wanderlust to deep cultural immersion on the legendary Kingsway property. The gathering was hosted by Sean Cummings, hotelier and proprietor of the Worldwide Home Resort. The resort’s bar, Loa, takes its identify from the lwa, the spirits of the Vodou custom. Cummings has additionally hosted occasions that includes Sallie Ann Glassman, a distinguished Vodou priestess and organizer of Worldwide Vodou Day.
Contained in the historic 1848 property, as soon as a inventive sanctuary for artists equivalent to Bob Dylan, Iggy Pop, and Sheryl Crow, a flooring to ceiling Swarovski cascade chandelier shimmered above a world meeting of Vodou students and practitioners. The gathering marked a big second as attendees witnessed the signing of a treaty designed to strengthen cultural and non secular connections amongst Vodou communities in Africa, Haiti, and New Orleans.
“It’s like Vodou promenade,” Amy Hession, a convention keeper from the Home of La Supply Ancienne Ounfo, informed me. “You’re by no means going to run into this explicit group of individuals wherever else at another time.”
Members of La Supply Ancienne Ounfo, a society devoted to preserving the purity of Haitian Vodou, spoke of the custom not as a Ryan Murphy-style Hollywood horror trope, however as a dwelling, respiration apply rooted in therapeutic, group, and reciprocity.
The night culminated in sacred Kreyòl songs led by the revered Manbo Mami Moun (Marie St. Germaine). Her voice felt like a sonic embrace, dissolving my final lingering misconceptions and main the room right into a collective, soul-stirring rendition of “Stand By Me.”
The next morning at Xavier College, the Worldwide Vodou Day symposium is free and open to the general public. Students broke down how Voodou served as the final word survival package and gear of resistance for enslaved Africans. It was a masterclass in how religion could be the final word foster of collective consciousness.
“Decoding Marie Laveau’s legacy and the way it’s been so misinterpreted over time is actually fascinating,” famous designer Michael Schmidt, a fellow first-time attendee.
Essentially the most resonant second for me was a lecture by Jean-Daniel Lafontant. Even by way of the language barrier, the message was clear: we’re all a constellation of non secular parts. When a visitor requested in regards to the hyperlink between Vodou and Ai, the reply was a revelation: every little thing is Vodou in case you infuse it with intention. Intention offers energy; perception offers life. We’re the architects of our personal vitality.
Sunday was the primary occasion. We joined the Vodou Day procession, winding our means towards Congo Sq. the sacred floor the place, because the 1740s, enslaved folks gathered to maintain their traditions alive towards all odds. In the present day, that drumbeat nonetheless thumps. We met YeYe, a mystic diva and Ifa Priestess who guided us by way of the gorgeous custom of leaving choices underneath the “Marie Laveau Tree.” Recharged and vibrating with further non secular juice, we headed to the New Orleans Therapeutic Middle for a conventional ceremony. The vitality was tangible, a literal buzz within the bones. Witnessing these historic rituals, I noticed how drastically the mainstream world will get this improper. Vodou isn’t about darkness or hexes; it’s an ancestral lifeline. It’s about connecting to the previous to enlighten the longer term. It’s about dwelling with compassion and fierce intention.
I left New Orleans feeling basically empowered. I noticed that if believing within the therapeutic energy of the Earth and the energy of our ancestors makes me “darkish,” then name me a bruja and let me dance. Vodou isn’t one thing to worry, it’s a resilient, stunning type of self-expression that celebrates the divinity inside us all. New Orleans didn’t simply hang-out me; it woke me up. So, within the spirit of Vodou, right here is our LADYGUNN NOLA providing:
- Go to Congo Sq. and depart an providing on the “Marie Laveau Tree”.
- Cease by the New Orleans Therapeutic Middle for a dose of native wellness and mysticism.
- Eat a po’ boy from Killer Poboys, one of many metropolis’s finest takes on the enduring sandwich.
- Savor a legendary Muffuletta from Napoleon Home, a New Orleans staple.
- Take pleasure in lunch at Pêche, one of many metropolis’s finest seafood locations.
- Find time for a meal at Cochon, a neighborhood favourite for Cajun-inspired flavors.
- Have dinner at Evviva for a comfortable night.
- Browse the enchanting finds at Sassy Magick, a favourite cease for all issues non secular and magical.
- Get an order of Beignet at Cafe Du Monde and luxuriate in at Jackson Sq. Park.
- Store at Vice & Graft for a thoughtfully curated assortment of classic, heritage, and handcrafted items.
- Keep on the Worldwide Home Resort, the place historic appeal meets fashionable luxurious with a terrific artwork assortment.
A bit of magic, loads of taste, and all of the appeal that makes New Orleans unforgettable.
