SHARING A SOUL

Fon Twins Festival

Africa
Benin

Photos

Sacred Twins
A Fon mother cradles her twins at the Hohokpedo festival. A welcome event, the birth of twins signals the
arrival of “He who comes divided”, all twins being
regarded as separate parts of a single being.
Hohokpedo Twin Festival
At left: crowds gather during the first day of Hohokpedo,
a Fon festival dedicated to celebrating living twins. At
right: A father poses proudly with his twin children;
twins, believed to be of divine origin, are always treated
with respect.
Gathering of Triplets
A gathering of mothers with triplets who sing to the accompaniment of Axatse gourd shakers and clapping
hands.
Dressed to Match
Portrait of identical twins attending the annual Hohokpedo Twins Festival wearing matching textile
outfits.
Hovi Dijo Doll
Twins are considered sacred and are treated more
carefully than other children. They are always dressed
alike, and gifts given to them must be in duplicate. If one twin dies, a small wooden image of the deceased must
be carried by the mother and cared for at all times.
Blessing of Twins
At left: a fetish mound is covered with palm oil to bless the generation of twins. At right: At a special altar in her home, Domengo Pascaline performs private rituals for her Hovi Dijo twin dolls. She blesses them with a libation of palm oil and feeds each doll with coconut slices and kola nuts.
Powerful Effigies
A Hovi Dijo carved wooden twin is as powerful as a living twin and must be equally cared for by its parents.
Caring for Hovi Dolls
A Fon Woman cares for three Hovi dolls; one for her father; one for her twin brother and one she found on the street and feels obliged to look after. Cooking and washing for her Hovi, she loves them as if they were her own children.
Seated and Carried
Inside the home, the dolls are placed in their own carefully crafted chairs and benches.When taken outside, they are tucked into their mother’s waistband or carried in protective leather bag.
Babysitter of Twins
One mother may even “babysit” a number of dolls
belonging to other mothers along with her own, tucking
them into her waistband for protection.
Carried in Style
The dolls are fed daily at a small home altar, dressed in
stylish fabric outfits, and, when taken out of the house,
carried tucked in the waistband of the mother.
Offerings to Effigies
Throughout the day of the festival offerings of food and
libations are given to the effigies while mothers sang and
danced with them.
Mami Wata Priestess
Seated by the altar in her shrine, a Mami Wata priestess,
responsible for the beauty, fertility, and well-being of
women, carries a Hovi Dijo twin in her wrap.
Priestess with Hovi Twins
A Voodoo priestess carries her twins in her waistband as
she chants to her deity.
Celebrating Twins
A priestess performs a dance celebrating the annual
Festival of Twins.
Dancing intro Trance
Priestesses dance and enter trancelike states
to the beating of a ritual drum. In an altered state they
experience oneness with their deity.
Cuban Diaspora Priestess
During the slave trade, many Voodoo practices were
transported to Cuba, where they are known as Santería.
Adelaide, a Cuban priestess living in Havana, blesses her
twin effigies with smoke from a cigar and libations of
Cuban rum.
Gelede Twin Mask
A Yoruba Gelede mask features a mother nursing her
twins. Yoruba traditions surrounding twins are similar to
the Fon, but their twin effigies are known as Ibeji.
Yoruba Ibeji Dolls
Yoruba people in Nigeria believe that twins share a single
soul. When one twin dies, it disrupts the balance of the
shared soul. To counteract this a small wooden figure,
called Ibeji, is carved as a symbolic substitute for the soul
of the dead twin. If both twins die two of these figures
are carved.
Duel Nature of Ibeji
Ibeji effigies must be fed and well dressed as they can
bring happiness to the family. They can also bring
disaster, disease and death, and therefore, must be
treated with great respect.
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