Togo good luck charm
Togo is a country in the West of Africa famous for its palm-lined beaches and hilltop villages. In Togo, Voodoo religion is common as an intervention against evil powers and diseases. People of Togo use charms such as dead animals, skulls, and dolls for good luck.
History of the Voodoo doll in Togo
Voodoo, also referred to as Voudon, originated from Afro-Caribbean in Louisiana and Haiti, where slaves combined their traditional beliefs with Roman Catholic beliefs. As a symbol of Voodism, among other charms, they came up with a Voodoo doll. Its use spread to other African countries like Benin, among the Fon people before getting to Togo.
Why the voodoo doll brings luck
People in Togo use the voodoo doll for good intent, like seeking guidance from ancestors. Also, depending on the color of the needles or pins on the doll, it has different uses. For example, white needles are believed to bring healing and purification, green needle symbolize wealth, growth and fertility and blue needle symbolize love and peace.
How to use a Voodoo doll charm
You can use the charm for meditation and prayers by placing in front of the altar at a place you can focus on. You can add items like anointing oil or herbs like rose petals and patchouli roots to increase its powers.
In case you want to communicate with the ancestor’s spirit, pin something that they intimately owned like a pace of hair or clothing to the doll, and then talk directly to the doll.
In cemeteries, they can be hanged in trees where they are believed to maintain a direct communication with the departed.
You can tuck a voodoo doll in a tree facing down to help protect against any person who you believe could bring evil to you.
How is a voodoo doll made?
The people of Togo make the voodoo doll from wood, bones, clay, wax, paper, clothing and plastic.
How to make a voodoo doll at home
You can make a voodoo doll at the comfort of your home though it requires craft. Below are the steps you can follow
- On a piece of paper make a person-shaped drawing and by use of scissors, cut it out
- Get a piece of cloth, any color you want to fold it into two and place your paper on it, attaching it with pins, then cut the fabric along with the piece of paper that you cut out
- Take one part of the clothing and let it be the front side and to it sew a button to be the right eye and stitch an X to be the left eye
- Just below the eyes such a horizontal line to act as the mouth
- To the horizontal line, add vertical line so that the mouth can look sewn shut
- On a piece paper, draw a small heart shape and paint it red, cut it out and to the left side of the cloth, sew it up
- Together, sew the two pieces of cloth leaving a small space under the arm and through it, stuff the doll with cotton
- Now finishing sewing the doll
Fun facts about a voodoo doll
- The color of the needle or pin on the doll defines its use
- If someone you do not trust comes nearby during the Voodoo ritual, then misfortune can be transferred to the doll
- A priest or medicine man has to bless the doll so that it cannot cast evil spells