The Rada are a family of
lwa spirits in the religion of
Haitian Vodou
Haitian Vodou is an African diasporic religion that developed in Haiti between the 16th and 19th centuries. It arose through a process of syncretism between several traditional religions of West and Central Africa and Roman Catholicism. There is ...
. They are regarded as being sweet-tempered and "cool", in this contrasting with the
Petro lwa, which are regarded as volatile and "hot".
Description
The Rada lwa have been described as a "pantheon" of deities in Haitian Vodou.
The Rada lwa are deemed sweet-natured and dependable. In this, they contrast with the
Petwo lwa
The Petwo ( ht, Petwo), also spelled Petro and alternatively known as , are a family of lwa (loa) spirits in the religion of Haitian Vodou. They are regarded as being volatile and "hot", in this contrasting with the Rada lwa, which are regarded a ...
, whom are deemed volatile and hot-tempered.
The Rada are referred to as ''lwa rasin'', meaning "root lwa." As they are often regarded as having an intimate relationship with their worshippers, they are often given names implying a family connection, such as ''Papa'' ("father") and ''Kouzen'' ("cousin").
The Petwo lwa are kept separate from the Rada lwa, both spatially, by placing their altars in different parts of the ''ounfo'' (temple), and temporally, by invoking them at different stages in a ritual.
History
The Rada pantheon have West African origins; specifically, the pantheon of Rada lwa and their associated rituals derives from
Arada
Arada may refer to:
Geography
* Arada, Chad, a town and subprefecture in the department of Biltine in eastern Chad
* Arada (Addis Ababa), one of the 10 subcities of Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia
* Arada, Honduras, a municipality in the Ho ...
in
Dahomey
The Kingdom of Dahomey () was a West African kingdom located within present-day Benin that existed from approximately 1600 until 1904. Dahomey developed on the Abomey Plateau amongst the Fon people in the early 17th century and became a region ...
.
"Rada" is a
cognate
In historical linguistics, cognates or lexical cognates are sets of words in different languages that have been inherited in direct descent from an etymology, etymological ancestor in a proto-language, common parent language. Because language c ...
of
Allada
Allada is a town, arrondissement, and commune, located in the Atlantique Department of Benin.
The current town of Allada corresponds to Great Ardra (also called Grand Ardra, or Arda), which was the capital of a Fon kingdom also called Allada (t ...
.
[Deren, Maya, ''Divine Horsemen'', McPherson & Company 2004, p. 60.]
Identities
Ezili Freda
Erzulie (sometimes spelled Erzili or Èzili) is a family of loa, or spirits, in Vodou.
Overview
The Erzulie is a family of loa that are often associated with water (fluidity), femininity, and feminine bodies. They are one of the only group of ...
is a Rada lwa.
Some Rada loa are:
Legba
Papa Legba is a lwa in Haitian Vodou, Winti and Louisiana Voodoo, who serves as the intermediary between the lwa and humanity. He stands at a spiritual crossroads and gives (or denies) permission to speak with the spirits of Guineé, and is be ...
,
Loco
Loco or El Loco may refer to:
Places United States
* Loco, Georgia, an unincorporated community
* Loco, Oklahoma, a village
* Loco, Texas, an unincorporated community
* Loco Mountain (Labinero, Montana), a mountain peak of the Crazy Mountains ...
,
Ayizan
Ayizan (also Grande Ai-Zan, Aizan, or Ayizan Velekete) is the loa of the marketplace and commerce in Vodou, especially in Haiti.
Background
She is a racine, or root loa, associated with Vodoun rites of initiation (called kanzo). Just as her h ...
,
Damballa
Damballa, also spelled Damballah, Dambala, Dambalah, among other variations ( ht, Danbala), is one of the most important of all loa, spirits in Haitian Voodoo and other African diaspora religious traditions such as Obeah. He is traditionally po ...
,
Ayida-Weddo
Ayida-Weddo is a loa of fertility, rainbows, wind, water, fire, and snakes in Vodou, especially in Benin and Haiti. Ayida-Weddo is known as the "Rainbow Serpent". Variants of Ayida-Weddo's name include Aida-Weddo, Ayida-Wedo, Aido Quedo, and A ...
,
Freda Freda may refer to:
* Frida (given name), also spelled ''Freda''
* Freda (surname)
* Freda (character) from The Lord of the Rings film trilogy
* Ford Freda, a motor vehicle introduced in the Japanese market in 1995
* Freda Sandstone, a member of t ...
, and
Agwé.
Ogou
Ogou is a prefecture located in the Plateaux Region of Togo. The prefecture seat is located in Atakpamé
Atakpamé is the fifth largest city in Togo by population (84,979 inhabitants in 2006), located in the Plateaux Region of Togo. It is an ...
is a lwa who does not fit neatly into either the Petwo or Rada nanchon. Although he carries weaponry, which is associated with the Petwo, he is seen as the defender of the Rada values.
References
Citations
Sources
*
*
*
*
External links
List of haitian lwa
Haitian Vodou gods
{{Deity-stub