 | Benin Local Customs | Tips 1 - 10 of 19 |  |
Popular Local Customs | Other Local Customs Tips | All Tips (19) Most of the people in Benin follow the traditional Voodoo religion, particularly in the South and in the villages. Voodoo is not the evil practice of sticking pins in dolls that resemble your enemy as we have been led to believe. It is a very complex system of beliefs based on the one god that created the world, called Mawa-Lissa (a woman!) and a system of lesser gods and spirits. These gods and spirits need to be kept happy in order for people to have good fortune and avoid bad luck and need to be communicated with regularly to keep the link between the spirit world and the living. Of course it is much more complicated than this, but this is a simplified synopsis of Voodoo.
You will see many temples dedicated to various gods as you travel around Benin and most of them are not grand but very small and simple. They have the name of the god or spirit they are dedicated to painted on the front, usually with a picture. Inside are carved figures, sometimes recognisable and sometimes not, depending on how old the temple is. In the Voodoo ceremonies the figures are coated with a mixture of palm oil and cornflour plus other ingredients, which builds up a coating over the years and makes the figures lose their original shape. The inside of the temples can also get very untidy with the left over debris of ceremonies.
It is very important to ask before you try to have a look inside or photograph a Voodoo temple. Often if you ask the people will be happy to let you have a look inside or take a photograph, but if you don’t they may get a little upset. After all they believe very strongly and these temples are very important to them so should be treated with respect.
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The Gozin is a clay pot that was used in traditional ceremonies.
If a King ruled for 10 years a ceremony was held in celebration, and then held every 10 years he ruled after that. The Gozin was carried to the river by young girls who must be virgins. They filled it with water and carried it back to the village where the water was used to purify the village.
You can see examples of the Gozin in the museums and paintings depicting the virgins carrying the water in many places.
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Twins are considered extremely special and a great blessing in Benin. If a woman gives birth to twins she becomes a very important person with great status and is considered very lucky. The twins are treated as special and everything must be shared equally between them.
If one of the twins dies the surviving twin has to carry around with them a small carved replica of their dead brother or sister which has to be dressed in identical clothes and given a small bit of the same food. The dead twin is not described as dead but “has gone to the forest to look for wood”
In Ouidah a ceremony for twins is held in the Chodaton plantation near the door of no return every October.
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Drums were, and still are to an extent, an important method of communication in Benin and West Africa.
The drums were used in all important ceremonies – Voodoo ceremonies, funerals, praising the kings and communication with the ancestors. As well as important events they were used for everyday communication, for example to warn of a snake in the village.
The drums were constructed to imitate the sounds of the languages of the Fon and the Yoruba tribes and could be heard for many miles around.
There are different types of drums of various sizes. The Soto drum is very tall and the drummer has to jump up to play it. It was used to tell people of a death. The bereaved played with the right hand for the death of his/her father and the left hand for the death of his/her mother.
The serpent God Dan, one of the most popular gods, has his own drum played in his honour.
You can see examples of Fon and Yoruba drums in the museums in Porto Nuovo and Abomey, and if you are lucky enough to see a Voodoo ceremony you can see them being played.
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The main language in Benin is French with tribal languages also spoken – Yoruba and Fon. Some people speak a little English in the hotels but not much. And all the signs and descriptions in the museums are in French. If you are not French speaking I would recommend you get an English speaking guide. Most of the museums have an English speaking guide, and the standard of English they speak is very good. There is a lot of information in the museums, and it would be a great pity to miss out on the wonderful descriptions of history and culture. I had an English speaking guide, Alex, with me throughout my trip. He was excellent and really brought to life the history and culture.
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I didn't have any problems or issues at all in Benin with safety. I didn't walk anywhere alone at night but I did take a few late afternoon walks alone with no hassle at all.
In Grand Popo I walked through the old town, by the river and along the beach and a few people stopped me to ask my name and a few other questions but that's all.
In Cotonou I actually walked down the main road by the port, because I wanted to get a photograph and here nobody bothered me at all.
In the hotels I also never had a problem or felt in a situaion where I wasn't safe. I'm not saying you should take risks, but I felt this to be a reasonably safe and friendly country.
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The main tribe in Benin are the Fon who originally came from the South but now make up about 40% of the population and are spread throughout the country.
The Yoruba are the other main tribe of the South and they came from Nigeria.
In the North the main tribe are the Somba.
The map in the picture is taken from the museum in Porto Nuovo and shows all the tribes of Benin and their locations.
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There are many Christians in Benin and I saw many churches and cathedrals, as well as some mosques, but most people also follow the traditional religion of Voodoo. The Kings of Dahomey allowed the people to take up and practise Christianity but they never converted themselves and always followed the traditional religion.
The slaves returning from the Americas had mixed their traditional religion with the Catholic religion and some of their practices were integrated into the culture too.
The Celestial Christian religion was started in Benin in the 1940’s and has spread through West Africa with many followers. You can mainly see them in the South of Benin and are noticeable as they wear all white clothes. As it was Easter when I visited I saw many of them going to and coming from their services.
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The Asen is the metal pole with a decorative top that the Kings used to carry with them and it represents the ancestors.
Every year in Porto Nouvo descendants of the kings gather in front of the collection of Asen and hold a ceremony in honour of the ancestors. Each King had his own special Asen with a motto which is represented in the decorative top of his Asen.
King Akaba’s motif was a chameleon representing getting to the top of the tree, King Tegbesu’s motif was a buffalo to say that nobody can remove his coat, King Agadja saw the Europeans arrive during his reign and his motifs were a hut, a calabash and a cross to say accept other religions but don't forget the traditional religion.
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Young children, whose families practise the traditional religion, often wear a bead belt around the waist. Pregnant women also wear them.
Birth, Life and Death are central to the traditional religion and the belt protects the women and the unborn child while she is pregnant and protects the small children, when they are young, from misfortune and disease.
You can see some of the young children wearing them in the villages and there are some good examples in the museums.
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on April 18, 2008
