Vodú is Haitian Vodou as practised in Cuba, mainly in the east of the island, by descendants of Haitian migrants.
Haitian migrants brought Vodou to Cuba. In the 18th century, enslaved people fleeing Saint-Domingue settled around the Sierra Maestra, and more came during the Haitian Revolution. In the early 20th century migration grew sharply: between 1912 and 1916 from 8,784 to 79,274 people a year. Vodou is practised mainly in Oriente and in the mountain villages of the Sierra Maestra, but also elsewhere, such as Ciego de Ávila. Because most Haitians were Catholic, Vodou often stayed behind the scenes, and it was long mistaken for "witchcraft".
Vodou venerates the lwa, divided into nations, mainly Rada and Petwo. The Rada lwa are seen as "cool" and owe much to Dahomeyan and Yoruba influences; the Petwo lwa as "hot", with roots in Kongo religion. Some well-known lwa:
According to EcuRed, Vodou is practised in a temple, the peristyl; the initiates of one priest together form a sociedad. The ranks run from houngan (man) or mambo (woman) asogwe, the senior priest, through sou pwen to the hounsi. Each initiate has a personal guardian spirit, the lwa met tet. Various kinds of drums are used in the ceremonies; the aim is to invite a lwa to enter the ritual space and possess one of the worshippers.
Some believers practise both Vodou and santería, and Vodou and Palo share Kongo practices, such as spirits kept in bottles or vessels. The gagá processions were originally maintained by the vodú societies.