The Benin voodoo festival

One festival, several names

Its legal name is the “annual festival of traditional religions”. People speak of the vodun festival, or of the festival of endogenous religions. The Vodun Days are something else: the festival organised by the state in Ouidah since January 2024, around the national holiday. The festival is celebrated throughout the country; Ouidah hosts the official ceremonies, on the beach by the Door of No Return, but houses, convents and towns each live it in their own way^[3].

From Ouidah 92 to 10 January

The festival was born with the return of democracy. President Nicéphore Soglo, elected in 1991, wanted to celebrate regained religious freedom and to reconnect with the diaspora in the Americas. A first milestone was Ouidah 92, the first international festival of vodun arts and cultures: prepared from 1992, hence its name, it was held in Ouidah in February 1993 and brought together artists and the diaspora^[4]. Many websites therefore date the vodun festival to 1992 or 1993; but Ouidah 92 was a festival, and the national holiday came later.

The first official celebration of 10 January took place in 1996, on President Soglo’s initiative. Law no. 97-031 of 20 August 1997 then established an annual festival of traditional religions, set on 10 January^[5]. It applied until January 2024.

Since 2025, the second Friday of January

Law no. 2024-32 of 2 September 2024 replaced the 1997 law: the festival of traditional religions now takes place on the second Friday of January, and the Thursday before it is also a paid public holiday. The date therefore changes every year^[3].

In 2027 the Vodun Days last eight days, but only Thursday 7 and Friday 8 January are public holidays: from Monday 4 to Wednesday 6 January, people work as usual^[2].

The Vodun Days in Ouidah

The Vodun Days bring together performances in the squares and processions from the convents in the historic town, a craft and food village, and a great ceremony in the presence of dignitaries. Attendance has grown sharply since 2024: more than 740,000 participants in 2026, according to the figures published by the government^[6]. What may be shown is framed: a committee of vodun rites, created by presidential decree in September 2023, helps formalise the rites, ceremonies and practices that are presented^[7].

I see three dimensions at once: religious, national and cultural. It is a religious festival, because vodun ceremonies and practices genuinely have their place there. It is a national event, because Benin has made it part of its policy of promoting endogenous religions and heritage. And it has also become an event open to visitors, with shows, concerts and an organisation designed to welcome a large audience, including from abroad. I see no contradiction between these dimensions, as long as vodun is not reduced to a show^[1].

The Bénin Tofa, the Fâ consulted for the country

During the great ceremony, a college of bokonon consults the Fâ for the country: this is the Bénin Tofa. On Friday 9 January 2026, the sign revealed was Losso Sa; on Saturday 17 January, the rituals prescribed by this consultation were carried out in the sacred forest of Kpassè, in Ouidah^[8].

For a bokonon, the Bénin Tofa is something other than a cultural attraction. It is a consultation of the Fâ carried out for the country, to bring out the main orientations of the year and what must be taken into account. It differs from an individual consultation, where a person asks about their own life: the bokonon involved speak for the national community, and their indications can lead to ritual prescriptions. I will not describe here how such a consultation is technically carried out. On the role of the bokonon, see Le bokonon (in French)^[1].

Coming in January 2027

I am glad that people come to discover vodun. But I ask them one thing: come with respect and curiosity, not with the idea of attending an exotic show. A visitor may watch a dance or a procession, and photograph some scenes when they are open to the public. That does not mean that everything may be photographed: initiation spaces, some convents, some rites and some sequences are not meant for the public. And above all, never press anyone to explain something they consider reserved^[1].

To journalists, I would say: do not look only for the spectacular image. Ask what the ceremony means, who is responsible for it, whether it is a public or an initiatory practice, and what place it holds in the life of the community. And ask before photographing or filming when you enter a religious space. A journalist can do their job without showing everything; I see it as a sign of respect for the subject^[1].