A white sacred stone has appeared during a Voodoo ceremony in southern Togo. Religious leaders say the colour of the stone is a sign for the year ahead.
Hundreds of Voodoo priests, priestesses and followers came together at Glidji-Kpodji Square. That place is near the city of Aneho. They gathered to see the unveiling of the stone called “Ekpessosso.” This ceremony goes back centuries. It is an important spiritual and cultural event for people who follow Togo’s traditional religion.
The ceremonial guardians said the stone can show up in colours. Each colour carries a meaning. They explained that a white stone is seen as a symbol. It stands for purity, peace and prosperity.
Participants wore white clothes. They also had beads around their necks and wrists. For hours they. Danced. Then a group of believers walked out from a forest. They carried the oval-shaped stone carefully.
A Voodoo priest held the stone. Worshippers chanted in the Mina language. After that he announced that the gods had heard their prayers.
The ceremony follows rituals that start months earlier. These begin in Voodoo convents and sacred forests.
Voodoo has roots in this region. It started in the 16th century. The place was Tado, along the Mono River. That river forms part of the border, between Togo and Benin.
The annual event continues to be an expression of Togo’s traditional religious heritage. It also shows the strength of the country’s identity.
