OK. Today was really odd. I got a call from a contractor I do frequent work for. He wanted to know if I was available to handle an emergency call at a large chain of banks that we frequently service. It doesn't matter what they ask for, we just go do it.
Today: "Can you go pick up a dead rooster and three coconuts at the bank at ..."
Apparently, someone had done a voodoo ritual of some sort and left a shrine at the bank! (or so I thought). Upon doing some research, it seems more likely to have been a blessing of some sort done by a Santerian, an Afro-Caribbean religion. They seem to feature blessings and other "magic" that involve animal sacrifices and other offerings to deities in exchange for a blessing or gain of some sort.
Chicken and coconut feature prominently in some of their ritual recipes. Yes. I looked up a 180 page long pdf of ritual magic, as I wanted to know the meaning of the event I was going to dispose of.
I found a few references to leaving some coins ($$ !!!) as well, so I was planning to check out the shrine real well for coinage or other signs of a ritual practice.
Upon arrival, I determined that if I was a deity to that offering, I wouldn't have been giving up too many blessings. It was only two dead cocks in a plastic grocery bag. The "three coconuts" turned out to be 4 chunks of coconut tossed onto the sidewalk. I got no ritually offered coins, either.
It all went into the dumpster.
Today: "Can you go pick up a dead rooster and three coconuts at the bank at ..."
Apparently, someone had done a voodoo ritual of some sort and left a shrine at the bank! (or so I thought). Upon doing some research, it seems more likely to have been a blessing of some sort done by a Santerian, an Afro-Caribbean religion. They seem to feature blessings and other "magic" that involve animal sacrifices and other offerings to deities in exchange for a blessing or gain of some sort.
Chicken and coconut feature prominently in some of their ritual recipes. Yes. I looked up a 180 page long pdf of ritual magic, as I wanted to know the meaning of the event I was going to dispose of.
I found a few references to leaving some coins ($$ !!!) as well, so I was planning to check out the shrine real well for coinage or other signs of a ritual practice.
Upon arrival, I determined that if I was a deity to that offering, I wouldn't have been giving up too many blessings. It was only two dead cocks in a plastic grocery bag. The "three coconuts" turned out to be 4 chunks of coconut tossed onto the sidewalk. I got no ritually offered coins, either.
It all went into the dumpster.
