Saturday, August 30, 2008

Pink Saturday - Vodou Shrine

Beverly at the blog How Sweet the Sound has a great idea! It's Pink Saturday. Post about something pink, on Saturday. Here are the rules if you want to Get Pink!

Three years ago this weekend, in 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall just east of the City of New Orleans. The city has still not recovered from what happened in the following days.

This is a shrine made by a New Orleans vodou priestess named Scully Elly. Elly and her husband Louie were exiled from New Orleans for a while after Hurricane Katrina. They returned to the city to start anew. Elly makes one of a kind items that, depending on your belief, are either sacred items of vodou practice, or folk art.

This shrine depicts a pink house in New Orleans' Bywater neighborhood. The flood waters have knocked the screen door off its hinges, and left a stain high on the house's wall. Painted next to the front door is the symbol left by FEMA searchers. According to the symbol, 3 people died in this home.

Neighborhood cats run wild, abandoned. The Lwa, or vodou "saints", linger in the attic where the residents chopped through the roof to try to save themselves from the rising water. These particular Lwa are the Gede, who are associated with gravediggers, and help shepherd the dead into the next world. Despite the tragedy, these Lwa are mischievous spirits, chasing the cats and goofing around.

The Vodou Lwa who would most appreciate Pink Saturday is Erzuli Freda. She is the Lwa of love, jewelry, dancing, femininity and luxury. Her colors are pink, red and gold. Her favorite sacrifices include jewelry, perfume (Anais-Anais by Cacharel is her special favorite), and sweet cakes, desserts and liqueurs. She is the goddess of unrequited love, and is often pictured weeping. She is also a flirt, who acts more like a mistress than a wife. She likes light cigarettes, like Virginia Slims. She is the Lwa of motherhood, of lovers, of women who like to shop.

But this is the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, and the flood that devastated New Orleans. Hurricane Gustav is building in the Gulf. The city is anticipating another blow. Residents are evacuating. Officials are planning for disaster.

On this anniversary, do we beseech the Gede for the dying? Or do we seek Erzuli Freda, to bask in her delightful luxury?

36 comments:

suesueb said...

i beseech them all!! have a good pink day!

Dawn said...

What a horrible hurricane Katrina was. The threat of another aproaching is almost too much!

That is a unique piece of art. Thank you for sharing the history behind it.

Happy Pink Saturday!

take care,
Dawn

Mo..."Mo's Cottage" said...

Wow! That shrine is amazing....if there is anything to a vodou shrine to keep a hurricane away I'm for it...
great post.
Hugs,
Mo :-)

Gabriela said...

Happy Pink Saturday!

Definitely a great PINK artistic piece...I will sure visit her site...

~ Gabriela ~

Deborah aka Miss Bee said...

Let's not have another tragedy like Katrina!!

I usually add a recipe to my Pink Saturday post and forgot to this morning. However, I just added one, if you would like to come back and take a look.

Hugs,
Deborah

Donna @ Party Wishes said...

Very cool blog! Happy Pink Saturday!

Dawn said...

Unique house, makes a statment! That's for visiting!

artis1111 said...

Be safe ..think Pink. Now that wont help. JUST RUN!!!! Pinkness to you Kathy

Anonymous said...

Thank you for sharing such information. I had no idea the vodou shrine kept them away.
You learn something new every day
Thanks for stopping by my Pink Saturday.
CC

Satsuki Rebel said...

How interesting! I'm taking a course on religions right now and we won't be studying voodoo. I wish we were though. What a cool piece of art.

Rachel@oneprettything.com said...

Wow, this is the most unique Pink Saturday submission I've seen. I love it, and I love the backstory!

SmilingSally said...

Hurricane Katrina was terrible, made more terrible by the inept mayor of New Orleans who stopped public transpotation waaay too early for the poor people to make an escape.

Anonymous said...

Hey G., That's a very interesting story! Have a fabulous Pink Saturday and a wonderful holiday weekend.

Rechelle ~Walnuthaven Cottage~ said...

What a interesting piece. I've never seen anything like that before. How very, very interesting.
Katrina was horrible, and we're praying Gustav will not hit as hard as expected.

Marina Capano said...

Hi! thanks for your nice comment in my blog! well, my english has only one year. In my school I didn´t like learn english, and all my english course I did not study, but at the moment I love learn english! I love speak english!! but it is so bad, I have mistakes and bad grammar. so, I hope it is better soon! I hope so! What a horrible hurricane Katrina. Here, I watched about Katrina. At the moment is time the hurricanes again!
Gracias y un gusto hablar contigo
Marina
xoxo

Anonymous said...

Wow, how unique, thank you for that post. I live in Florida and know how it feels to have the threat of a lingering hurricane in the midst. The events and tragedy of Hurricane Katrina was almost incomprehensible.

All the best to you,
Pennie

Suzie Button said...

I pray everyone will remain safe! Thanks for sharing more on the lure of New Orleans! Happy Pink Saturday!

said...

Interesting. It's great to learn a little something while looking at all the good pink stuff.

marianne said...

wow, what an interesting post and unique piece of artistry. thanks for sharing! hope it helps keep the people in New Orleans safe from the impending storm!

have a wonderful Pink Day! :)

Darlene said...

It is so interesting to hear the history behind that art....

Happy Pink Saturday to you!!

Anonymous said...

This is such an interesting post. I have enjoyed reading it. I have been watching the news today with concerns for New Orleans and I pray the storm veers in a different direction. Please have a safe and happy weekend.

Unknown said...

Hi G,
Your post is really interesting to me and very appropriate today! We have visited New Orleans many times, but haven't been in the Bywater neighborhood.

I live about 3 and a half hours north of New Orleans...and my son is a grad student there. He is home with us and I'm so thankful they closed the university.

Everything seems to be more orderly this time, and hopefully all the well laid plans will prove to be just a precaution!

We have been getting ready here too...Katrina left us without power for 6 days. So, we are putting our lessons learned last time to use too!

Thanks for stopping in on me today!
diane

Nancy said...

Very wacky and super interesting. Reminds of the Day of the Dead in Mexico. She nailed it didn't she and all in pink! Yes, our prayers are with all the folks wherever Gustav lands. Thanks for sharing this, G. Those "3 things"
are really neat, too.
:)Nancy

Anonymous said...

thanks for visiting us today, Happy pink Saturday~

Tricia said...

Happy Pink Saturday. Best Wishes for a good week.

That Crazy Ajumma said...

What a unique shrine!
Happy PS Day!

Just A Girl said...

Good morning G.,
Very interesting peice of art work. It reminds me of something they'd have for Dea De La Mortise or however you spell that. Have a wonderful pink weekend.

Anonymous said...

I think we pray with all of our power that everyone be safe, and that they have homes waiting for their happy return. May all the forces be positive.

This was so interesting, Glennis.

Anne Fannie said...

Hello Glennis, what a interesting Pink Saturday Post!
thanks for sharing!
Love, Ann

Anonymous said...

What a truly interesting piece of art and so is the story that inspired it. We all are praying for the south again as so many folks are evacuating and the towns are readying for the hurricane. Folks certainly have stepped up to prevent the loss of lives on this one--both the government(local and state) and the citizens. God bless them during the days ahead.

Christie said...

Hey! Thanks for visiting me and leaving such sweet comments...Happy Pink Saturday late....that's such neat art, and thanks for adding the history behind it. Hope you have a great week!

xoxo,
Queenie!

Cami said...

I think I would like to be friends w/ a voodoo priestess.

Betty said...

What a great pink post! I'm so glad that Gustav doesn't seem to have been as bad as expected!

Anonymous said...

Thank you for visiting my blog!

Janet said...

oh my gosh, that is just beautiful!!!

Unknown said...

I may be 3 years late in finding this but couldn't resist posting. I was doing a google image search for my shrines to show a friend and came across your blog. Thank you for featuring my shrine and for saying such lovely things about it, about me and about my beloved home of New Orleans. Peace and love to you and to all who visit your blog. -Elly