Rada lwa

{{Short description|Major family of loa in Haitian Vodou}} The '''Rada''' are a family of lwa spirits in the religion of Haitian Vodou. They are regarded as being sweet-tempered and "cool". In this, they contrast with the Petro lwa, which are regarded as volatile and "hot". {{Haitian_Vodou}}

==Description== The Rada lwa have been described as a "pantheon" of deities in Haitian Vodou.{{sfn|Brown|1991|p=385}} The Rada lwa are deemed sweet-natured and dependable.{{sfn|Brown|1991|p=100}} In this, they contrast with the Petwo lwa, who are deemed volatile and hot-tempered.{{sfn|Brown|1991|p=101}}

The Rada are referred to as ''lwa rasin'', meaning "root lwa."{{sfn|Brown|1991|p=100}} 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").{{sfn|Brown|1991|pp=100-101}}

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.{{sfn|Ramsey|2011|p=8}}

==History== The Rada pantheon have West African origins;{{sfn|Ramsey|2011|p=7}} specifically, the pantheon of Rada lwa and their associated rituals derives from Arada in Dahomey.{{sfn|Desmangles|1992|p=36}} "Rada" is a cognate of Allada.<ref>Deren, Maya, ''Divine Horsemen'', McPherson & Company 2004, p. 60.</ref>

==Identities== Ezili Freda is a Rada lwa.{{sfn|Brown|1991|p=246}}

Some Rada loa are: Legba, Loco, Ayizan, Damballa, Ayida-Weddo, Freda, and Agwé.{{citation needed|date=April 2021}}

Ogou 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.{{sfn|Brown|1991|p=101}}

==References== ===Citations=== {{Reflist}}

===Sources=== {{Refbegin|30em|indent=yes}} * {{cite book | last1 = Brown | first1 = Karen McCarthy | year = 1991 | title = Mama Lola: A Vodou Priestess in Brooklyn | publisher = University of California Press | location = Berkeley | isbn = 0-520-22475-2 }} * {{cite book |last=Desmangles |first=Leslie |title=The Faces of the Gods: Vodou and Roman Catholicism in Haiti |location=Chapel Hill |publisher=University of North Carolina Press |year=1992 |isbn=978-0807843932 }} * {{cite book |last=Métraux |first=Alfred |title=Voodoo in Haiti |year=1972 |orig-year=1959 |translator=Hugo Charteris |location=New York |publisher=Schocken Books }} * {{cite book |last=Ramsey |first=Kate |year=2011 |title=The Spirits and the Law: Vodou and Power in Haiti |location=Chicago |publisher=University of Chicago Press |isbn=978-0-226-70379-4 }} {{Refend}}

==External links== *[https://web.archive.org/web/20060516165730/http://www.webster.edu/~corbetre/haiti/voodoo/biglist.htm List of haitian lwa]

Category:Haitian Vodou Category:Afro-Caribbean religion Category:Afro-Haitian culture Category:Afro-American religion Category:Christianity and religious syncretism Category:Folk Catholicism Category:Religion in Haiti Category:Haitian Vodou gods {{Deity-stub}}