Ayizan
(also Grande Ai-Zan, Aizan, or Ayizan Velekete) is the
loa
( ), also called loa or loi, are spirits in the African diasporic religion of Haitian Vodou. They have also been incorporated into some revivalist forms of Louisiana Voodoo. Many of the lwa derive their identities in part from deities venerate ...
of the marketplace and commerce in
Vodou, especially in
Haiti
Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...
.
Background
She is a racine, or root loa, associated with Vodoun
rites of initiation (called kanzo). Just as her husband
Loko is the archetypal
houngan (priest), Ayizan is regarded as the first, or archetypal,
mambo
Mambo most often refers to:
*Mambo (music), a Cuban musical form
*Mambo (dance), a dance corresponding to mambo music
Mambo may also refer to:
Music
*Mambo section, a section in arrangements of some types of Afro-Caribbean music, particular ...
(priestess), and as such is also associated with priestly knowledge and mysteries, particularly those of initiation and the natural world.
As the spiritual parents of the priesthood, she and her husband are two of the loa involved in the kanzo rites in which the priest/ess-to-be is given the asson (sacred rattle and tool of the priesthood) and are both powerful guardians of "reglemen" or the correct and appropriate form of Vodoun service.
She is
syncretized
Syncretism () is the practice of combining different beliefs and various schools of thought. Syncretism involves the merging or assimilation of several originally discrete traditions, especially in the theology and mythology of religion, thu ...
with the Catholic
Saint Clare. Her symbol is the
palm frond, and she drinks no alcohol. Her colors are most commonly silver, blue, and white.
References
External links
An overview of AyizanThe meaning of Ayizan's nameby Max Beauvoir
Ayizan: The First Priestess of Haitian Vodou
Voodoo goddesses
Haitian Vodou goddesses
Commerce goddesses
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