Hoodoo vs. Voodoo

For Halloween, I wanted to answer a question we hear in New Orleans: What’s the difference between voodoo and hoodoo?

Voodoo is an established religion with African roots. It arrived in New Orleans from Haiti and Africa and encompasses a large culture of art, philosophy and music of different spiritual traditions.

In contrast, hoodoo is a mélange of African folklore and beliefs as well as American Indian botany and European folklore. It isn’t linked to a particular theology but can be adapted to different types of religious worship. Most of what we see in movies today is really hoodoo.

– Scott Hutcheson, Senior Advisor to the Mayor on the Cultural Economy