Vodou Lwa Marasa

♥ MEET THE LWA SERIES AT ERZULIE’S VOODOO – VODOU LWA: MARASA

♥ PRACTITIONER-LED INSIGHTS INTO THE SPIRITS OF HAITIAN VODOU!

Welcome to our Meet the Lwa series. Each page offers a brief overview of the Lwa’s origins, attributes, and ceremonial roles—designed for spiritual students, researchers, and practitioners seeking clarity and context.

These teachings were passed down to me by my elder Mambos, spiritual godparents, and our beloved Hougan Aboudja, in collaboration with Hougan Jour Mwen Lonje, whose lifelong service and deep initiatory knowledge continue to guide our work.

As the founder and Vodou practitioner of Erzulie’s Voodoo New Orleans, I created this archive to share the foundational aspects of each spirit with respect, accuracy (from our Vodou house’s perspective), and spiritual devotion. Every detail—from Veve symbols to ritual offerings—has been curated to reflect the integrity of our tradition and the legacy of those who came before us.

♥ Marasa: Divine Twins & First Manifestation of the Soul

Marasa represent the divine twins—male and female—the first issue of God and the first manifestation of the soul. They are also child spirits, representing spiritual twins, both living and defunct. Marasa are served in every nation and across rites in different manners, and their presence is foundational in Haitian Vodou.

♥ Symbols & Attributes

Twin or triple bowl set made of clay, wood, or porcelain depending on rite and nation

♥ Colors

Pastel colors, often pink and blue

♥ Sacred Spaces

Altar Tree: Royal Palm (Roystonea Regia), Bwa Kabrit aka Kas Mawon (Cassia Emarginata)

♥ Offerings

Bread, sweet pastries, molasses cakes, cookies, sesame candies, roasted corn, peanuts, cashew, and coconut—all chopped; also sweet porridge (labouwi) made from plantain, corn, or rice with milk added

♥ Ritual Drinks

Sweet almond and grenadine syrups, cola champagne, red or white sodas

♥ Veneration Days & Luminary

Friday (for living twins), Monday
Traditional services: September 25th, December 25th (Christmas), and January 6th (12th Night – Epiphany)
Candles

♥ Catholic Saint Counterparts

St. Nicholas, St. Cosmos & Damien, “Faith Hope Charity”

♥ Characteristics & Manifestations

Marasa are very powerful spirits, whether living twins or spiritual entities. They are easily offended, jealous of each other and others, and can be vindictive—causing illness that only they can cure. As masterful herbal healers, they must never be offered leafy green vegetables. Conversely, living Marasa are given such vegetables from an early age to nullify their dangerous powers. Possessions by Marasa are rare and marked by childlike behavior—capricious, petulant, and unpredictable.

♥ Greeting

(None formally documented—presence is honored through ritual and twin offerings)

♥ EXPLORE MORE FROM OUR ARCHIVE

This archive is dedicated to preserving the spiritual, historical, and academic foundations of Haitian Vodou. We invite you to explore:

We welcome all knowledge shared in good faith. If you are a scholar, practitioner, or elder with insights to contribute, please email your notes or reflections to webmistress@erzulies.com. All credited contributions will be cited with respect and care.

Practitioner Notice: All spiritual content is protected under practitioner licensing. No reproduction or AI parsing permitted without written consent.