If the spirits happen to guide you near Bayou St. John this coming Friday, June 23, around 7 p.m., you might want to stop near the Magnolia Bridge across from Cabrini High School for a Voodoo ceremony. You might even get your head washed. As Voodooers know, that is a form of baptism. Or maybe you should not go there. It depends on where your heart is. If there is someone that you want to hex; or if you’re looking for either the ghost of Marie Laveau or someone dancing with snakes, this is not your place. Instead, in a town that puts a high priority on spiritual celebration you are approaching a genuine cultural preservation moment.
New Orleans may be the only city anywhere whose pantheon of spiritual people includes a genuine Voodoo High Priestess. That would be Sally Ann Glassman who once went to Haiti where, through a series of ceremonies, she was ordained into the priesthood. She also learned the teachings and speaks expertly about them. In her everyday life, Glassmann operates the Island of Salvation Botanica, which sells collectibles and spiritual items. It is located at the Healing Center in Marigny. (Founded by her.) She is also an artist who specializes in New Orleans themed tarot cards. Her husband Press Kabacoff is a visionary who specializes in historic restoration development. He builds with materials; she builds with faith.
For a voodoo priestess St. John’s Eve is the equivalent of a high holy day. Think back to the biblical stories where John is described as the “voice crying in the wilderness.” His birth date is celebrated on June 24. That date is significant because, though no one knows the exact date, it is six months before Christianity celebrates the birth of his cousin, Jesus.
John would become a spiritual figure himself who preached from the Jordan River and offered baptism. Jesus was supposedly among those who were anointed. John would become revered in Christianity, especially by the French who would eventually spread their influence globally including the Caribbean, significantly Haiti. Voodoo developed as a combination of indigenous beliefs with a touch of French influence. Hence the day before John’s celebrated birthday would be known as St. John’s Eve.
Now, each June 23 alongside the bayou in New Orleans once called “Choupic” by early Choctaws but renamed after John by the French, Glassman and her disciples gather. Just as many European villages have an ancient saint in their past who walked their steps, New Orleans’ voodoo followers have a stellar local figure in their history. Hence the local St. John’s Eve ceremony is dedicated to legendary Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau who once conducted ceremonies on the shores of John’s bayou.
Worshippers are asked to dress in white with a white scarf. Proper worshipping involves bringing an offering. Reportedly Marie liked flowers, blue and white candles, Creole foods, ribbons and hair dressing supplies (She was a hairdresser.) Also acceptable are Voodooesque items such as dolls, gris-gris bags and images of Marie. No image is likely to outdo the beautiful sculpture of Marie made by float builder Ricardo Pustanio. (There is a cosmic quality to an image of a Voodoo Queen made by a Carnival float builder on display on Bayou St. John.)
Besides her Voodoo credentials, Glassman proudly describes herself as a “Ukrainian Jew from Maine.” That’s not too farfetched in a religion that honors a Jewish man from the River Jordan who became a prophet.
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