Marie Laveux

Marie Laveau was an intelligent, statuesque woman of African, Caucasian and Native American ancestry. Laveau’s work as a hairdresser gained her entrance into the homes of New Orleans’ most prestigious families. Many society women confessed their secrets and scandals to Laveau, who used this knowledge to her advantage. Laveau would charge desperate wives a fee to “unhex” their unfaithful husbands. She would then visit these husbands and let them know that she had soothed their wives anger; these grateful men would offer Marie Laveau more money to show their appreciation. By 1830 Laveau had not only gotten rich; she had also become the undisputed Queen of Voodoo in New Orleans. She organized public Voodoo ceremonies in Congo Square (now Louis Armstrong Park) and at Bayou St. John. Crowds made up of 6-7000 people would gather in Congo Square, dancing and swaying in unison to melodies played on bamboo flutes. In order to further entice paying audiences, Laveau heightened the sensationalism of these ceremonies by including new mystical elements, such as incense, holy water and statues of saints. These practices had usually associated with Catholicism. Like most New Orleanians, Laveau was a devout Catholic, and saw nothing unusual about combining her two religions. In fact, Roman Catholicism had been influencing Voodoo customs since the seventeenth century. In Haiti, fearful plantation owners banned the practice of Voodoo and all slaves were forced to convert to Catholicism. Soon, though, the two religions began to blend; Voodoo followers simply used Catholic saints to represent their familiar loas. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Laveau http://ame2.asu.edu/sites/voodoodreams/marie_laveau.asp http://www.themystica.com/mystica/articles/l/laveau_marie.html “The most popular song in Congo Square was the Calinda” http://www.colorquilts.com/julian/TangledRoots.html http://youtube.com/watch?v=TeagJDNhvUs http://www.eagletradingcompany.com/marie_laveau.htm http://www.neworleansperfume.com/sono.htm Kus Kus, the 160 year old original scent of New Orleans, Voodoo Love, a re-creation of Marie Laveau’s Love Potion, & Eau de Cologne, Napoleon’s favorite fragrance.