Christmas with Voodoo?

Like in any religion, voodoo has holidays. While each priest has his or her special rituals, rites and special features to these celebratory days, the major events remain the same. And surprise, surprise, the most important holidays just happen to coincide with Christian holidays, more specifically, Catholic celebrations. The night of bains de chance, or luck baths follows Christmas. On January 6th, Epiphany, voodoo followers celebrate New Year's Day where families worship in the oufo, the voodoo temple. Lent is when groups from the oufo make rounds in the street and dance to a bamboo trumpet. The list goes on with other voodoo holidays the same day as patron saint's holidays in the Catholic church.

Furthermore, even the most foreign rituals of voodoo, like accepting the lwa, where the lwa posses a body, begins with Catholic rituals. After members of the oufo parade flags and scared objects through the streets, beating sacramental drums, the members recite long Catholic prayers and the litanies of the saints.

Finally, much like followers of Catholicism in Hispanic countries, on the Day of the Dead, voodoo followers make altars to remember those lost. These alters sometimes have skulls, clothing items, candles, offerings and so on. Although, here's the kicker, they always have a cross. Interestingly, the alters are always placed in places where magic and sorcery take place.