Marie Laveau & Voodoo Trivia Quiz

Answer: Queen

She was sometimes referred to as 'Pope of Voodoo'.

Answer: Charles Gandolfo

Charles Gandolfo founded the New Orelans Historic Voodoo Museum in June of 1972. He also gives lectures on voodoo, started the first Cajun Country Swamp Tour, and the first Voodoo tours. He has also directed Voodoo rituals in a lot of films such as: French Quarter, The House on Royal Street, The Big Easy, and Bayou Rouge.

He has also appeared on quite a few TV shows such as: 'The Larry King Show', 'The ABC Morning News', and 'Good Morning America'. He wrote 'Voodoo in Southern Louisiana' and 'The Voodoo Cookbook'. The late Rose Yaffa Frank was one of the great Voodoo Queens of modern time. Margaret Gross is a retired teacher from St. Charles Parish Schools.

She also helped Gandolfo prepare the book 'Marie Laveau of New Orleans: The Great Voodoo Queen'.

She is also a guide in Gandolfo's museum. At first the New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum was called the Voodoo Museum and Gift Shop. Its name changed to the present one in 1986.

Answer: there isn't an actual record of her birth

Most historians believe she was born at the same time as the second great fire in New Orleans. They think everyone was so busy trying to fight the fire that no one bothered to record the birth.

Answer: 1794

She was born in New Orleans and lived there until her death on 15 June 1881.

Answer: a person of color or mixed heritage

Maire Laveau was one fourth French and one fourth Spanish from her father's side. She was one fourth black and one fourth Native American from her mother's side. She was a free person.

Answer: to read and write French

Marie's mother taught her the skills of hairstyling and nursing. French was the official language of Louisiana until 1920.

Answer: 1806

The practice of Voodoo became partly legal in New Orleans, so it was openly practiced. After Louisiana adopted the Napoleonic Law, a host of Voodoo practitioners came to the city.

Answer: Jacques Paris

Marie was 25 when she and Jacques got married. They got married on 4 August 1819 at the St. Louis Cathedral. Pere Antoine performed the ceremony. Jacques was a free quadroon and a carpenter. Jashua Frank was Rose Yaffa Frank's father. John Bayou Montellet was a Voodoo doctor.

He taught Marie some of the ways of Voodoo. He was the first commercial Voodooist in New Orleans to whip up potions and gris-gris for a price. He and Marie's partnership eventually broke up because Marie was more intelligent than he was and seemingly more powerful.

Answer: a pair of solid gold hoop earrings

Marie always wore those earrings when she was appropriately dressed. Her father also gave them a house on Rampart Street.

Answer: Captain Christophe Louis Duming de Glapion

Christophe was the son of a French military officer. He served in the War of 1812 and the Battle of New Orleans. He moved in with Marie about 1826. She was 32 and he was 37. He was also a quadroon. The newspapers reported that Marie and Christophe were married but there was no document of the wedding.

However, it seems that they were married by common-law. Christophe died nine or ten years after they met on June 27, 1835. He was 46. In fact, Marie, Marie Laveu II (Marie's daughter) and Christophe all died in June (in different years).

Answer: 15

They had all fifteen of the children within eight years, including three sets of twins and two sets of triplets. It is said that if a woman gives birth to a set of twins, then she possesses great spiritual powers.

Answer: on the shores of Lake Pontchartrain

The quadroon Sanite Dede was in charge of the Voodoo ceremonies held on the shores of Lake Pontchartrain. Sanite Dede was a close friend of the Laveau family.

Answer: a hairdresser

When Marie became a hairdresser she found that the women clients would talk to her about everything and would divulge some of their most personal secrets to her. Marie found this as an extra way to make money, by helping these women through her Voodoo skills.

It seems she would achieve for them what they desired most of the time. Most of her work for the ladies involved love predicaments.

Answer: Fertility Rites

The more secretive rituals were held along the Bayou St. John and Bayou Metairie. The largest of her secret rituals were held along the shores of Lake Pontchartrain. At the Fertility Rites men and women were both allowed but more women always seemed to come. Large amounts of rum, whiskey, and tafia were ingested at this ritual. Marie always drank red anisette.

At least 15 percent of the people there were white.

Answer: once a month

During the mating ritual, Marie would set up an alter to the loa Erzulie, the beautiful Venus of the Voodoo pantheon who is also the mistress of the Snake-Spirit Damballah. She also asked for the sacrifice of a white pigeon on a Thursday. An equal amount of men and women were present at this ritual. There is a lot more to this ritual, send me a message if you would like to know more.

Answer: St. John's Eve

The St. John's Eve ritual that Marie presided over commemorated all of the other rituals in one long ceremony. This ritual was held once a year on June 23. It started at dusk on the 23rd and ended at dawn on St. John's day. This ritual had the largest attendance.

The main function of the ritual was to get rid of the evil within and around for further protection. The ritual also has a soul-purifying ritual called the Bruler Zin.

Answer: the worship of ancestors

During this ritual, the participants dance with human skulls and baby coffins until exhaustion. A large cauldron was also in the center of the ceremonial area and creole gumbo was prepared in it. Everyone was invited to join in the feast.

Answer: Maison Blanche, Quadroon Balls, and Seer

The Maison Blanche (means White House) was her business of the first organized dating service. It was located on Lake Ponchartrain near Milneburg. Marie had this house built for 'special dates'. She would have wealthy Creole men come to her house during the week to pay {$10} for a 'date' at Maison Blanch for the following Saturday night.

The Quadroon Balls were held before Marie had influence over them. They were done similarly to Maison Blanche. Marie was also a Seer. A Seer is one who predicts the future or one's personal fate.

Answer: She was a nurse

Marie was loyal to the South during the war and helped as a nurse to care for the wounded. She attended them at bedside with her healing powers. These powers were successful due to her knowledge of herbs found around Southern Louisiana. When an epidemic broke out, she was always quick to respond. During Marie's late 60s and early 70s (which was during and after the war) she devoted more of her time to nursing and consulting with prisoners than she did her rituals.

Answer: write on it

It is very disrespectful to put graffiti on her grave (tombstone), even though a lot of people do and think it is showing their respect. What you should do is leave her an offering if you want her help and then leave a little trinket of thanks after she has helped you.